‘Immediate risk to life’ for mother on hunger strike over jailed son – doctor

A mother on long-term hunger strike in a bid to free her jailed son faces an “immediate risk to life”, according to her doctor.

British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, 43, has been detained in Egypt since September 29 2019 and in December 2021 was sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of spreading false news.

His mother, Laila Soueif, was taken to St Thomas’ Hospital in central London on Monday evening and stayed overnight after her blood sugar levels, blood pressure and sodium levels recorded “dangerously new lows”, the Free Alaa campaign said.

The campaign said Tuesday marked the 149th day of the 68-year-old’s hunger strike and she is not taking glucose treatment as a result of her protest action.

It added she was put on a saline drip due to the low sodium readings and the hospital is continuing to monitor her.

Ms Soueif’s doctor later provided a letter, at her request, to explain her current clinical condition and the risks to her health.

The campaign added Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer must call Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi “before it’s too late” to call for Mr Abd El-Fattah’s release.

The medical consultant responsible for Ms Soueif’s care at the hospital wrote: “The effects of the continued fast on her body have led to critical refractory hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar).

“This is on a background of significant weight loss with loss of body sugar and fat stores and low blood protein levels as a result of lack of nutrition.

“Her condition is now extremely serious and I have explained the gravity of her condition and the serious harms which will result from continued fasting. These include severely low blood sugars.

“I have explained that: there is now immediate risk to life including further deterioration or death, and that she is in particular at high risk of sudden death with continued fasting; her organs, in particular her heart and brain are likely to become affected with damage that could be permanent; we advise intravenous glucose or controlled refeeding immediately to reduce the risk to herself; the longer the duration of her fasting, the higher the risk of death during the refeeding process, should she cease fasting.

“I have iterated the importance of ceasing her hunger strike or accepting artificial glucose or nutrition to reduce the risk to her life. She is however resolute that she will not consider this until resolution of the situation involving her son.”

Mr Abd El-Fattah has spent most of the past decade in prison because of his criticism of Egypt’s rulers and is unable to see his young son, who lives in Brighton.

Sir Keir met Ms Soueif earlier this month and said he would do “all that I can” to secure her son’s release.

Writing on social media site X, formerly Twitter, her daughter Mona Seif said: “All she wants is for Alaa to be free now that he served the full five-year sentence.”

The campaign said Ms Soueif has lost almost 30kg (66lb) – 35% of her starting body weight – and has consumed nothing but herbal tea, black coffee and rehydration salts since September 29 last year.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller raised the case at Foreign Office questions on Tuesday and said the Commons would be “shocked” to learn Ms Soueif had been admitted to hospital.

He said: “Can the Foreign Secretary update us on whether the Prime Minister has now spoken with the Egyptian president to secure the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and allow Laila to break her strike?”

Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer replied: “I know the whole House are engaged in this case and we all are hoping for Laila’s health.

“The Prime Minister met with Laila and the rest of her family recently and I was pleased to join them. The Prime Minister has undertaken to take every effort that he can in order to try and ensure Alaa’s release and we will continue to do so.”

Mr Miller could be seen shaking his head at the minister’s response.