Laila Soueif, the mother of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, announced that she will resume her full hunger strike on Tuesday (20 May) in protest against her son's ongoing imprisonment in Egypt.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the 69-year-old made a direct plea to Sir Keir Starmer and his government, urging them to secure her son’s release.
For 233 days, Ms Soueif has not eaten any food. Since the beginning of her hunger strike, she has lost 36kg, about 42 per cent of her original body weight.
In February, the prime minister spoke to Egyptian President Sisi about the case, prompting Ms Soueif to relent on her hunger strike by consuming a 300-calorie liquid supplement. Sir Keir has since said he will not stop doing “everything in his power” to secure Alaa Abd el-Fattah's release.
However, she has been disappointed by the lack of recent progress and has since decided to stop taking the liquid supplement.
