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Sitting on a small chair in front of the British Foreign Office building in London, Dr. Laila Soueif has been holding daily morning sit-ins, demanding the release of her son, British-Egyptian political activist and writer Alaa Abdel Fattah.

Despite having completed his prison sentence, he remains detained in Egypt.

Now past 80 days of the hunger strike, which began in Cairo after Alaa’s sentence officially ended in late September, friends, family, and activists gathered on Wednesday to support Soueif.

She has been in London for several weeks, urging the British government to pressure Egyptian authorities to release Abdel Fattah, who was grantedĚýBritish citizenshipĚýduring his incarceration.

Soueif arrives at the Foreign Office each day at 10 am, sitting for an hour with banners and photos of Alaa. Today, her signs read,Ěý“All I want for Christmas is Alaa to be free”Ěý˛ą˛Ô»ĺĚý“David Lammy, bring Alaa home”—the latter addressing the British Foreign Secretary, who met with the family last month and pledged to work on Alaa’s release.

“The response has been positive, with strong sympathy from the media, MPs, organizations, friends, and family here. There’s interest, support, and pressure on the government to act,” Soueif toldĚýAl-Araby Al-Jadeed, °®Âţµş's Arabic sister edition. She drinks tea—the only sustenance she consumes during her hunger strike, alongside rehydration solutions.

On Tuesday, she joined an evening protest outside a Christmas event attended by Foreign Secretary David Lammy. on Thursday, she plans to protest again outside an event attended by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

“My health hasn’t faced serious complications so far, but I’ve lost over 20 kilograms. My blood sugar fluctuates, and my blood pressure rises and falls, but nothing critical. Honestly, I’m surprised my body has held up this long. Thankfully, I’m not collapsing or in the hospital,” Soueif said as she prepared to attend the final session of the British Parliament this year, where MPs were expected to question the Prime Minister.

The family had hoped an MP would raise Alaa’s case, which started with a Facebook post that led to his imprisonment.

In recent weeks, Alaa’s case has received unprecedented attention from British MPs, particularly under the new Labour government. Over 100 MPs and peers recently wrote to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, expressing concern over Abdel Fattah’s continued detention and calling for his release.

At today’s sit-in, Labour MP Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside) joined and spoke with Soueif, promising to take action and write to the government. Later, Johnson :Ěý“Laila is on the 80th day of her hunger strike. The need to free Alaa has never been more urgent".

When asked about new commitments from the British government, Soueif said: “We’ve heard promises all along, even from the previous government, which expressed sympathy and pledged action. But we need results. We’ve been stuck in this cycle for years. I can’t continue indefinitely. We need concrete outcomes.”

“We’re grateful for the sympathy and support from individuals, but from governments, we need tangible results. My son and I are both Egyptian and British citizens, and we have rights owed to us by both governments,” she added.

Hope amid grim prospects

Alaa Abdel Fattah was supposed to complete his five-year sentence on 29 September 2023. However, Egyptian authorities recalculated the sentence from 3 January 2022—the date the verdict was finalized—instead of 29 September 2019, when he was detained. This means his imprisonment could now extend until 3 January 2027.

The extension has sparked renewed attention in Egypt. Several organisations, including the Egyptian Front for Human Rights, have called it a violation of Article 482 of the Egyptian Criminal Procedures Code. In late October, numerous political parties, initiatives, and public figures issued a joint statement urging the Egyptian Attorney General to intervene and release Abdel Fattah and fellow activist

Al-Araby Al-JadeedĚýcontacted the British Foreign Office for comment. A spokesperson responded: “Our priority remains securing Mr. Abdel Fattah’s release so he can reunite with his family. We continue to raise his case at the highest levels with the Egyptian government.” The spokesperson confirmed that Foreign Secretary Lammy had discussed Abdel Fattah’s case with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry multiple times, most recently on 25 November.

However, when asked whether arms deals between the UK and Egypt affected the government’s stance on Abdel Fattah’s case, the spokesperson declined to comment.

Dr. Laila Soueif, a renowned academic and activist, hopes this long ordeal will end with Alaa’s release and his reunion with his family. “Alaa’s son Khaled is here, attending a great special-needs school where he’s happy. Khaled can’t handle instability. My hope is for Alaa to join him and for this ordeal to end without further trauma,” she said.

Yet, Soueif acknowledged the uncertainty: “As a mathematics professor, I understand probabilities. There’s a chance this will end tragically, which I don’t wish for—not for myself, at age 68, but for my children, who shouldn’t have to endure such an outcome.”

Finishing the last sip of her tea on a cold morning, Soueif concluded, “All possibilities remain open, but part of me believes the happy ending is still within reach.”