Latest news with #LailaSoueif
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Egypt and Alaa Abd el-Fattah: Starmer and Lammy vowed to do all they can. So do it
Last month, Sir Keir Starmer promised to do 'everything I possibly can' to free Egypt's highest profile political prisoner, Alaa Abd el-Fattah. A few months earlier, the foreign secretary had described the case of the British-Egyptian writer and campaigner as the 'number one issue'. In opposition, David Lammy had joined a protest in Mr Abd el-Fattah's support outside the Foreign Office and demanded serious diplomatic consequences for Cairo if no progress was made. Progress has not been made and time is running out. Arbitrary detention has stolen almost a decade of Mr Abd el-Fattah's life, while that of his remarkable mother, Laila Soueif, may be drawing to its close. As of Tuesday, the 69-year-old, who lives in London, had not eaten for 261 days, as she demands her son's release. After taking 300-calorie liquid supplements for a short period, she returned to a full hunger strike almost a month ago and has been hospitalised since the end of May. In Egypt, Mr Abd el-Fattah has been on hunger strike for more than 100 days. Mr Abd el-Fattah, whose current ordeal began when he was detained in 2019, should never have been held. He was sentenced to five years for 'spreading false news'; his real offence was to speak truth to power. But the injustice was compounded when, instead of releasing him in September, as Egypt's own criminal code requires, the state chose to ignore his pre-trial detention. His jail term was deemed to have begun only after his conviction in December 2021, meaning that it would run until the end of next year. The UN working group on arbitrary detention found last month that his detention was unlawful on multiple grounds, including the lack of arrest warrant, violation of his right to free expression and the lack of a fair trial. His 13-year-old son, who lives in Brighton, has been denied the chance to know his father. In over a decade in office, Gen Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Egypt's president, has proved to be even more repressive than his former boss, Hosni Mubarak, who was overthrown in the Arab spring. Executions have soared, and more than 1,500 political prisoners were detained last year alone. Sir Keir has twice raised Mr Abd el-Fattah's case directly in calls with Gen Sisi, and has written to him multiple times. Yet Britain has not even gained consular access to the 43-year-old. Egypt has released dual nationals before when under pressure. It appears particularly obdurate in this case. Supporters have made a strong case for imposing sanctions and bringing a case at the international court of justice. Given the health of Mr Abd el-Fattah and Ms Soueif, however, the priority must be measures with immediate effect. The first should be to change travel advice, warning against travelling to Egypt, and to refuse trade talks. Mr Abd el-Fattah's case clearly indicates the risks for Britons, given the lack of fair process and consular access. Egypt's economy, which remains fragile following an International Monetary Fund bailout last year, is heavily dependent on tourism and around half a million Britons travel there every year. The prime minister's advocacy is welcome. But as Mr Lammy demanded in 2022, 'what diplomatic price has Egypt paid for denying the right of consular access to a British citizen?' It is clear that Britain has not, in fact, done everything it possibly can to change the Egyptian government's mind. It must now do so. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
The Guardian
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The idea was to crush his spirit': family of jailed British-Egyptian man describe awful prison conditions
Family, friends and supporters of the jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah have spoken about the conditions of his long imprisonment as his mother, Laila Soueif, remains in a London hospital in declining health on a hunger strike to secure his release. Amid a mounting campaign to put pressure on British ministers to intervene more forcefully on Abd el-Fattah's behalf, supporters say his continued detention is part of a campaign of vengeance motivated by the personal animus of the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, towards him. The activist, who came to prominence during Egypt's 2011 Tahrir Square protests, has been jailed twice, the second time months after his release from prison in 2019, and continues to be imprisoned despite completing his five-year sentence last autumn. Abd el-Fattah's first period in prison – from 2015 to 2019 – was spent in the Tora maximum-security prison, a place designed to hold violent jihadists, but since 2018 he has been held in Wadi al-Natrun in Beheira province in the Nile delta. While the physical conditions are less harsh than in Tora – where Abd el-Fattah was beaten – his treatment in Wadi al-Natrun has been designed deliberately to isolate and demoralise him, say supporters, depriving him for three years of books and limiting his contact with other prisoners. Between September 2019 to May 2022 he was held in a small, poorly ventilated cell, denied a bed and mattress as well as reading materials and exercise. 'The idea was to crush his spirit,' says Mona Seif, his sister, who has visited her brother in jail. 'I think after so many trials and attempts to break him, the regime has realised that the way crush to him is to isolate him from the world and render him mute. That's been the tactic since his second period in jail beginning in 2019.' What has become clear to Seif, and others campaigning to release him, is that the treatment of her brother is being driven by a very personal animosity directed at Abd el-Fattah and his family by Egypt's president. 'It seems very personal,' says Seif. 'Since 2019 the unofficial messages we have been getting from different Egyptian institutions is that our file is with Sisi.' Abd el-Fattah was a familiar and always approachable figure in Tahrir Square during the 2011 mass protests that led to the fall of the government of Hosni Mubarak. Articulate, passionate and thoughtful, his great skill was seen in bringing different groups together. Sentenced to jail for organising a political protest without permission in 2015, Abd el-Fattah was briefly released in March 2019 but was rearrested months later and charged with spreading 'fake news undermining national security' for a retweet. One person with a personal insight into what Abd el-Fattah has been through is the activist and poet Ahmed Douma, who was imprisoned during his first spell in jail in Tora, where for 10 months the two men were in separate, solitary cells facing each other, until the authorities decided their proximity was a problem. Unlike Abd el-Fattah, Douma was pardoned and released by Sisi in 2023. January 2011 – when 18 days of mass protests led to the resignation of the then president, Hosni Mubarak – 'was, still is, and will forever remain a personal enemy to Sisi. And Alaa was one of the symbols of that period,' Douma told the Guardian. 'At the same time, he's an activist who has audience and influence – a thinker with his own philosophy and interest in how political movements develop, how people move, how they understand things. 'And of course, he also became a symbol of the stupidity of the authorities. 'The truth is that even one hour in prison inevitably leaves an impact, and it's not trivial,' adds Douma, who spent more than 10 years in prison. 'There's depression from what happened in prison, whether things that happened to you directly or which you witnessed. Torture, assault and so on. 'It's not just the impact on the body, but on the mind. At some point, you realise that you've been in solitary confinement for days, months, days or years, with no communication. I haven't even begun the journey of recovery from the effects of those 10 years.' Aida Seif El-Dawla, a psychiatrist, human rights defender and co-founder of El Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, says: 'Look, in Egypt, detention is a psychological torture. I don't know what those people are punished for except that they expressed an opinion. And to put people in prison because they expressed an opinion, that's not a legal punishment. But apparently, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi thinks otherwise. 'This is the punishment of the saddest father who tortures his children for non-obedience.' What is clear is that the Egyptian authorities regard Abd el-Fattah's detention as open ended, holding him beyond his originally scheduled release date and also holding another potential prosecution over him. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Mahmoud Shalaby, a researcher at Amnesty International who deals with Egypt, says: 'The whole thing is about making an example of him. He's already been brutally punished. He has spent almost 10 years in prison solely for practising his human rights. Alaa's case is extremely extraordinary, especially as Egypt has a history of releasing dual nationals who are arbitrarily detained. 'I think the fear is that if he was released, he would go abroad and criticise the government from there. But that's not a reason to keep him arbitrarily in prison.' His lawyer, Khaled Ali, says: 'Alaa should have been released on 28 September last year.' Instead, the courts have declined to include his period of pretrial detention, prior to ratification of the sentence, meaning he will not be released until 2027 – if then. Ali says: 'He was sentenced to five years in prison and he has been detained since 28 September 2019. His sentence should have ended on 28 September 2024.' After a hunger strike in 2022, Abd el-Fattah has been allowed access to books and now a television in Wadi al-Natrun, from where he is able to write and receive letters from his family. 'Alaa and my mum are both big science fiction fans and so he reads a massive amount,' says Seif. 'Science fiction, graphic novels and anything to do with science. Now he is allowed a television, he follows tournaments. He'll treat a tournament as a whole project. If Wimbledon is on, he will follow for the day. 'But because of the way the prison was constructed, the exercise area is a big hole with concrete walls and no ceiling. He hasn't walked in sun for over five years.' The family are able to monitor his mood via his response to the cats that have sought shelter in the prison and whom he has adopted. 'If his mood is good he shares lots of pictures of the cats.' His mood in recent months as his release date has come and gone has not been good. Attempts by successive British governments and EU officials – among others – to intervene behind the scenes have been a failure as Egypt has faced no consequences for its human rights abuses. Lacking interlocutors with influence within Sisi's immediate circle, Abd el-Fattah's case is stuck, even as his mother's health in London has dangerously worsened. One person who has been involved in advocacy for Abd el-Fattah says: 'The policy of private engagement has been going on for over 10 years. You only see movement on human rights issues in Egypt where there is the threat of action.' Seif says: 'They just want his absolute surrender and Alaa completely broken and mimicking the regime's narrative. Even the slightest indication of independence they see as defiance. The whole thing is a senseless act of pure vengeance that leaves us to keep guessing, what is it for, and when will be enough.' Ahmed Douma adds: 'If I could send him a message and tell him anything, I would tell him that we are with him. And that his freedom and Laila's life are our personal battle.'
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer playing Russian roulette with jailed Briton's life, family claims
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of playing 'Russian roulette' with the lives of a British citizen illegally detained in Egypt and his mother. Laila Soueif, 69, began refusing food in September after her son, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, remained imprisoned in Cairo despite completing a jail sentence. Doctors now warn she is on the brink of death. 'It feels like the Government is playing Russian roulette with my mother and brother's life,' said his sister Mona, speaking to The Telegraph from a café opposite St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster, where Ms Soueif is being treated. Her sister Sanaa, speaking from Cairo, said both the Prime Minister and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egypt's president, would have 'blood on their hands' if her mother died before her brother was freed. ' We're not even asking Egypt for a favour, he's a British citizen. Does his passport mean nothing?' she added. Mr El-Fattah, a British citizen who is also on hunger strike, was jailed in 2019 for sharing a Facebook post about the death of an inmate. A UN panel has found his continued imprisonment to be illegal and arbitrary. Sanaa said her brother was 'really anxious' about their mother's condition and described him as a 'hostage'. 'He's being used as a negotiating card by both governments. He's finished his sentence, Egypt is not even giving any legal argument to keep him.' The Foreign Office insists it is 'committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah's release', and said David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, raised the case again last week. However, Sir Keir is seemingly unable to convince Mr El-Sisi, who has reportedly ignored his calls since May 22. Mona said: 'If you ask me personally, David Lammy on his own, Keir Starmer on his own, are both invested in the wellbeing of my family. But has this transferred into action? No. It hasn't led to any tangible change in Alaa's condition in prison.' She accused the Foreign Office of working 'against' families. 'The way the Foreign Office works – especially under this Labour Government – it doesn't feel like it is working with you.' Speaking from her hospital bed, Ms Soueif urged the Prime Minister to act fast: 'Mr Starmer, both Alaa and I are now in danger. Please get a result and get it quickly. We do not have weeks any more, we are lucky to have days.' Mr El-Fattah, a prominent writer and activist, had served previous time in prison before being re-arrested in 2019 and sentenced to three years in 2021. Shortly after his arrest in 2019, he was transferred to Egypt's notorious Tora maximum security prison, where he was blindfolded, stripped of his clothing, and beaten, according to Amnesty International. One police officer allegedly told him that prison was 'made for people like you' and that he would be there for the rest of his life. Sanaa, who visited her brother twice on her visit to Cairo, said her brother had received better treatment where he is currently being held, the Wadi el-Natrun Prison, a massive jail complex north of the Egyptian capital. 'I saw him behind a glass shield, he's lost a lot of weight. He looked weaker but at least he says he feels OK. The doctors are testing his blood sugars,' she explained. Mr El-Fattah's sentence expired in September 2024 – which was when Ms Soueif began her hunger strike. For months, she survived on black tea, black coffee and rehydration salts. In February, she began taking 300 liquid calories a day after Sir Keir personally called on Egypt to release her son. She resumed her hunger strike on May 20 and was readmitted to hospital days later. Doctors say she has refused glucose treatment, and her blood sugar dropped so low last week it was undetectable. 'I don't think any of us thought she could continue this far,' said Mona. 'This is why I feel extra angry with both governments.' Fiona O'Brien, UK director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said the Government had multiple levers it could use to pressure Egypt into action, such as changing travel advice. 'British tourists should know they could be arrested for sharing something online in Egypt, and that they won't get any consular visits.' She urged ministers to consider sanctions or to refer Egypt to the International Court of Justice. 'Alaa is absolutely a hostage now… the world is watching to see what Britain is going to do,' she said. A Government spokesman said: 'We are committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah's release. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have stressed the urgency of the situation in calls with their counterparts recently and further engagement at the highest levels of the Egyptian government continues. 'We are deeply concerned by Laila's hospitalisation. We remain in regular contact with Laila's family and have checked on her welfare.'
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
250 days on hunger strike: Can Laila Soueif secure her son's freedom?
Laila Soueif, 69, has been on hunger strike in London for more than 250 days in an effort to secure the release of her son, the activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, from jail in Egypt. As diplomatic pressure mounts, she is now in a critical condition. Alaa's sister Mona Seif describes to Michael Safi the toll that imprisonment has taken on her brother, her mother's determination to do whatever she can to secure his release, and the difficulty of coming to terms with her mother's decision to risk her life. The Guardian's diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, describes meeting Soueif and says she and her British-Egyptian family have a long history of activism. This includes a reported past incident between her husband, Ahmed Seif, and the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, that many believe may be influencing Alaa's potentially indefinite detention. The two discuss the attempts made by different British governments to secure her son's release, the Foreign Office's strategic considerations, and possible diplomatic options. Support the Guardian today:
Times
08-06-2025
- Health
- Times
Hunger striker Laila Soueif relents as jailed son is granted visit
Laila Soueif is more than 250 days into a hunger strike which, doctors warn, now puts her at risk of sudden death. Only one thing has a positive physical effect on her damaged body, according to her family: seeing her grandchildren Lana, two, and Khaled, 13. Khaled is the son of Alaa Abd El-Fattah, whose political imprisonment in Cairo is the reason for his mother's protest. Their visits are such a source of joy to Soueif that whenever there is a spike in her blood sugar or energy levels, a doctor friend of the family will ask 'was it Lana or Khaled who visited?', Mona Seif, one of her daughters, said. On Friday Soueif, 69, grudgingly agreed to accept limited glucose treatment after Egypt permitted a family visit for Abd El-Fattah on the first day of Eid al-Adha. The family decided his youngest sister, Sanaa, would go but she would not travel if there was a risk of her mother dying while she was El-Fattah, 43, a British-Egyptian activist and writer, was held in 2019 and has not seen Khaled, who lives in Brighton, East Sussex, since. Soueif's hunger strike started on September 29, the day after Egypt declined to release her son on the scheduled date because the authorities refused to take into account his time in pre-trial detention before he was charged with 'spreading false news and harming Egypt's national interest'. In February, she moved to a partial hunger strike of 300 liquid calories after Sir Keir Starmer pressed for her son's release in a call to President Sisi of Egypt, but has since returned to consuming only water, black coffee, herbal tea and salts following a lack of action. She has lost 40 per cent of her body weight. Speaking from St Thomas' Hospital, opposite the House of Commons in central London, Seif, 39, said: 'In her mind, the most important person in this equation is Khaled, who is autistic.' Her mother was admitted on May 29 with dangerously low blood sugar levels, the second time she has been admitted during her eight-month hunger strike. During Sanaa's jail visit in Cairo, she was allowed 20 minutes with her brother while he sat behind a screen. They were not allowed to hug each other. Seif, who is a cancer researcher in Cambridge and also an activist, said: 'It gave us a slight relief but Mama's body has reached a state where it's no longer about just taking glucose or not. She has consumed her body to a point that she is very weak. She can hardly pull herself up and we don't know how much of this damage is reversible.' • Jawad Iqbal: Lammy is failing to protect British citizens abroad From her hospital bed yesterday, Soueif said the glucose treatment made her feel 'more revived than other days', but 'mentally I am getting more and more pessimistic all the time'. She said: 'In the end I had to take the glucose because I did not want another visit lost. I could see that Sanaa really couldn't leave me without being assured I would not be dead within days. For me now, I question whether there is only one possible outcome.' Soueif has told her family she will stop only when she sees a tangible change in her son's conditions — either his release or perhaps the Egyptian government granting him British consular access for the first time. It was no longer enough for Starmer to be calling Sisi and 'just being nice', Seif said, especially after the United Nations ruled his detention was arbitrary and therefore illegal under international law. She said: 'The Foreign Office doesn't differ its diplomatic tactics whether it is dealing with a country with whom it enjoys a flourishing bilateral relationship, or whether it's an adversary like Iran or Russia. There is something completely wrong about that.' 'I hate to admit this but it kind of pushes Mama's resolve to take this to the end. The only times they started shifting up their pace a bit were the two times she was hospitalised.' • Jailed writer honoured with prestigious literary award The Foreign Office said: 'We are committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah's release. The foreign secretary stressed the urgency of the situation in a call with his counterpart on June 1, and further engagement at the highest levels of the Egyptian government continues. 'We are deeply concerned by Laila's hospitalisation. We remain in regular contact with Laila's family and have checked on her welfare.' Today marks 100 days of Abd El-Fattah's own hunger strike in solidarity with his mother. His sisters also adopted the tactic in 2014 when the government stopped him and Sanaa, both in prison at the time, from seeing their dying father. Seif is concerned that her brother has threatened to 'escalate' his hunger strike, which could involve refusing water. Seif held her daughter's second birthday party at the hospital last weekend so Lana could show her 'sitti' — Arabic for grandmother — her dress. When her mother was at her lowest ebb she focused on Khaled. Seif said: 'She says this kid needs his father far more than you need me now that you are older.'
