Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah has resumed a full hunger strike, his mother announced Sunday, igniting fresh concerns that his imprisonment is being wielded as a bargaining chip in Egypt’s diplomatic standoff with the United Kingdom.
According to his mother, academic Laila Soueif, Alaa began refusing food and oral rehydration salts on Sept. 1, surviving only on water. “We visited Alaa on Saturday, Sept. 6. He’s been on hunger strike since the beginning of the month,” she wrote in a Facebook post early Sunday. “He’s not even taking salts.”
Laila said her son was deeply frustrated. “He is furious. Ever since his name was removed from the terrorism list, National Security told him in prison that he would be released within days. It’s driving him mad that nothing has happened. It has been nearly a year since Alaa completed his sentence, and he remains behind bars.”
Alaa had ended a previous hunger strike in August, which began in March after news of his mother’s deteriorating health during her own hunger protest.
A source close to the family told Al Manassa that both strikes were paused as part of back-channel negotiations to secure Abd El Fattah’s release after five years in prison. The source, requesting anonymity, said removing his name from the terrorism list had been seen as a prelude to release, with vague promises made to the family.
But the situation shifted after protests erupted outside Egyptian embassies, notably in London, and following the diplomatic tensions caused by the arrest of Ahmed Abdel Kader, head of the pro-government Union of Egyptian Youth Abroad. Supporters of the regime began hinting at using Abdel Fattah’s imprisonment as leverage in talks with Britain.
“Yes, he holds British citizenship,” the source noted to Al Manassa. “But he is Egyptian. His incarceration should not be used to pressure the UK.”
Shortly before Abdel Kader’s release, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty contacted British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, urging clarity on the arrest and demanding swift investigation and release.
Ahmed Abdel Kader's arrest sparked heated commentary. Pro-government influencer Loay Alkhteeb drew a sharp comparison: “Alaa commits crimes in Egypt and Britain gives him citizenship as a reward. Ahmed defends Egyptian embassies, and Britain ambushes him. What clearer double standard is there?”
He continued, “Let me be clear: your son Alaa won’t be released before 2027, and that’s if he’s not charged in other cases. Our son will get out.”
The hashtag “#NoToAlaaAbdElFattahRelease” trended on X amid coordinated online campaigns.
Alaa Abd El Fattah was arrested on Sept. 28, 2019, on charges including “broadcasting false news,” “misusing social media,” and “joining an illegal group.” He was sentenced to five years in December 2021 by an Emergency State Security Court, after spending two years in pretrial detention.
Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali, who previously spoke to Al Manassa, Alaa was due for release in September 2024. But authorities refused to count his pretrial detention toward his sentence, instead starting the five-year term on Jan. 3, 2022, the date the military ruler ratified the verdict.
