A mother is refusing to eat in front of Downing Street until her son is released or she becomes too weak.

Laila Soueif has been making a powerful statement outside of Downing Street lately. She has made a commitment to sit there for an hour every work day until her son, Alaa Abn El-Fattah, is released from prison. Laila is a strong advocate for human rights in her home country of Egypt, but now she is facing a difficult and trying situation unlike any she has faced before.

It has been 107 days since Alaa, a British citizen, should have been released from a Cairo prison after serving a five-year sentence. However, he is still not home with his family in Brighton. In response to this, Laila, who is 68 years old, has been on a hunger strike for the past 107 days. When asked about her physical well-being, she shared with Metro that she gets tired more easily and is more easily agitated and emotional. But she remains determined to continue her protest.

Recently, Laila moved her protest from the Foreign Office to outside the gates of Downing Street. She believes that the only way to secure her son's release is through more pressure from the Prime Minister himself. Laila explained, "I've always been a determined person, but this is the longest I've had to sustain my determination. And the stakes are so high, because my ultimate goal is to bring my son back home safely. In a way, it's been an easy decision for me to make and continue with, because as a mother, I will do anything for my child."

Laila's decision to give up all food and only consume black coffee, herbal tea, and rehydration salts has caused concern among her family. She has already lost 23kg of weight and has endured some of the coldest days of the winter while protesting in London.

During a recent visit to see Alaa in prison for Coptic Christmas, Laila shared that he was worried about her well-being. She said, "He was a bit relieved to see that I was still standing. But in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think that this could be my last visit. I'm sure he had the same thought."

Alaa has been a prominent figure in the 2011 Egyptian uprising and has spent much of the last decade behind bars. He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2019 for a Facebook post that exposed human rights abuses in Egyptian prisons. Though his sentence ended on September 29, 2021, he was not released. Laila expressed that from Alaa's perspective, it must feel like nothing is happening to secure his release.

The case has been raised by former Foreign Secretary David Lammy and current Leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer. They have both met with Laila and two of Alaa's sisters, and Sir Keir has even written to Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to demand Alaa's release. But Laila is hoping for even stronger intervention from Sir Keir, stating, "I know he has sent a letter, but there haven't been any results yet. I hope he will personally speak to President Sisi and persuade him to end this situation."

Laila will be attending Foreign Office questions in the House of Commons this morning, where she hopes to continue putting pressure on the government to take action. SNP MP Brendan O'Hara, vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on arbitrary detention, believes that it is now the government's responsibility to secure Alaa's release. He said, "Laila has shown she is in this for the long haul, and it's time for the UK to play hardball."

In response, a government spokesperson stated that their priority is to secure Alaa's release and that they have been pressing the issue with the Egyptian government at the highest levels. However, Laila remains skeptical and insists that her son must physically walk out of prison before she will even consider ending her hunger strike.

She said, "I can't believe in promises anymore. I will continue my hunger strike until my son is released or until I collapse." Laila's determination and unwavering love for her son is a strong reminder of the power of a mother's love and the lengths she will go to protect her child.

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