Politics Egypt: Mother of imprisoned activist on hunger strike

In Egypt, the mother of imprisoned democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has started a hunger strike. "I would rather die than allow Alaa to continue to be mistreated in this way," said Laila Saif. "I will stop eating until Alaa is released." The 68-year-old lives in Cairo and will only eat water and salt in future to regulate her blood pressure.

Abdel Fattah was one of the leading figures of the 2011 revolution in Egypt, which brought down long-term ruler Husni Mubarak. He was arrested in 2013 while protesting against a stricter demonstration law and has been in prison almost continuously since then. In protest against his prison conditions, he has since given up food and water himself.

In 2021, a court sentenced Abdel Fattah to five years in prison for spreading false news after he shared content about torture in Egypt on social media. He had previously spent two years in pre-trial detention. However, as in other cases - and according to his supporters against applicable criminal law - this time was not credited to him. Although five years have passed since his arrest, he was therefore not released on Monday as demanded by his supporters.

Human rights activists have repeatedly given Egypt a devastating report card. The case of Abdel Fattah also overshadowed the COP27 World Climate Change Conference in Egypt in 2022, where he was mentioned by US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, among others. Abdel Fattah's sisters are due to meet British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Wednesday to discuss the case. Abdel Fattah was granted British citizenship in 2021, but the Egyptian authorities have not yet recognized this.