A group of UK Parliamentarians have written a joint letter to British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on 29 January 2025, asking for increased pressure to be put on the Egyptian government to release British-Egyptian Alaa Abd El-Fattah. The letter follows Alaa's mother's hunger strike that has been ongoing for more than 120 days, and her health is now in a critical period.
29 January 2025
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing to you about the urgent matter of imprisoned British-Egyptian writer Alaa Abd elFattah. We are deeply concerned about the health of his mother, Laila Soueif, who has been on hunger strike for more than 120 days in protest at his detention.
As you are aware, Alaa's most recent - and deeply unjust - sentence should have ended on 29 September 2024 but the Egyptian authorities refused to release him, in violation of their own laws. Alaa's mother, Laila Soueif, a 68 year old mathematics professor at Cairo University, has been on hunger strike ever since, surviving solely on black coffee, restorative salts and herbal tea. She has lost over 20kg of weight.
We took some reassurance from the Foreign Secretary's statement to Parliament in November that he shared the "determination and resolve [of the House] to see Alaa reunited with his family". We also welcome the fact that you wrote directly to President Sisi in December raising Alaa's case and that your office has called securing Alaa's release an "absolute priority". At this point we respectfully ask you to intensify efforts across the whole of government to make Alaa's urgent release a reality. We are in a critical period for Laila's health. We are convinced that a direct conversation between you and President Sisi on Alaa's case, in person or by telephone, is essential to achieve all our shared goal of Alaa being safely returned to his family in Brighton and an end to Laila Soueif's hunger strike.
Each passing day is crucial to Laila's wellbeing and we urge you to act as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
The undersigned.
Lord David Alton of Liverpool
Örfhlaith Begley MP
Apsana Begum MP
Baroness Natalie Bennett of Manor Castle
Sian Berry MP
Olivia Blake MP
Baroness Christine Blower
Baroness Brinton Richard Burgon MP lain Byrne MP
Rt Hon. Alistair Carmichael MP
Sarah Champion MP
Ellie Chowns MP
Rt Hon. Jeremy Corbyn MP
Marsha de Cordova MP
Pat Cullen MP
Rt Hon. Lord Navnit Dholakia CBE DL
Rt Hon Baroness D'Souza CMG
Rt.Hon Sir lain Duncan Smith MP
John Finucane MP
Rt Hon. Lord Peter Hain of Neath
Lord Hannay
Chris Hazzard MP
Lord John Hendy KC
Dåire Hughes MP
Baroness Barbara Janke
Kim Johnson MP
Baroness Jones
Afzal Khan MP
Ben Lake MP
Chris Law MP
Brian Leishman MP
Baroness Ruth Lister of Burtersett
Rebecca Long-Bailey MP
Cathal Mallaghan MP Paul Maskey MP
John McDonnell MP
Andy McDonald MP
Lord Mark McInnes of Kilwinning
Calum Miller MP
Baroness Lindsay Northover
Brendan O'Hara MP
The Baroness O'Loan DBE MRIA
Kate Osamor MP
Lord Simon Russell of Liverpool
Andy Slaughter MP
Zarah Sultana MP
Rt Hon. Sir Desmond Swayne MP
Jon Trickett MP
Rt Hon Valerie Vaz MP pete Wishart MP Sammy Wilson MP
Lord Stewart Wood of Anfield
