My sister is on hunger strike to free her son Alaa Abd el-Fattah from jail in Egypt. We don’t want her to die | Ahdaf Soueif

The British-Egyptian activist is imprisoned alongside thousands of other political detainees. We’re appealing to the UK government for help

My sister is 68, and today is her 60th day on hunger strike. This is her latest battle against injustice, and she knows it may be her last.

Laila is fighting for the freedom of her son: Alaa Abd el-Fattah, the British-Egyptian writer, software developer and democracy activist who is Egypt’s most high-profile political prisoner. Alaa has served two five-year prison sentences. The first for participating in a 15-minute silent protest, the second for reposting a Facebook post about a prisoner who had died in prison.

Ahdaf Soueif is the author of Mezzaterra: Fragments from the Common Ground

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My sister is on hunger strike to free her son Alaa Abd el-Fattah from jail in Egypt. We don’t want her to die | Ahdaf Soueif

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