Mother of Activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah Begins Hunger Strike

Laila Soueif, the mother of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, has initiated a hunger strike to demand her son's release, claiming he should have been freed after completing a five-year sentence for spreading false news on September 29. Abdel-Fattah, a prominent figure in the 2011 pro-democracy uprisings, has faced ongoing detention since 2013, and his family argues that his prior two years in remand should count toward his sentence. Soueif describes her son's situation as a 'kidnapping' and criticizes both Egyptian authorities and the complicity of British officials, given that Abdel-Fattah holds British citizenship. His sisters are scheduled to meet with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to seek intervention for his release. The case has garnered attention from international human rights groups, which express concerns over the legality of his detention and the broader implications for Egypt's human rights situation. Abdel-Fattah's imprisonment symbolizes the increasing autocracy under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's regime.