The IPI global network calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately release Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who remains unlawfully imprisoned nearly a year after completing his sentence. His mother, Laila Soueif, has been on hunger strike for more than 250 days in protest and was recently hospitalized. We urge the international community to use all diplomatic means at their disposal to pressure Egypt to release el-Fattah, as his mother’s health deteriorates.
El-Fattah, a blogger and activist who has been critical of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, was arrested in September 2019 over unfounded allegations of spreading “false news”. A month prior, el-Fattah had shared a Facebook post condemning the death of Hossam Hamed, a prison inmate. Following his arrest, el-Fattah spent over two years in pretrial detention before being sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison.
While el-Fattah completed his sentence on 29 September 2024, Egyptian authorities refused to acknowledge the two years served in pretrial detention, stating his release date would not be until January 2027.
In protest of this decision, el-Fattah’s mother, Laila Soueif, has been on hunger strike since 29 September. Over the course of 250 days, she has lost nearly half her body weight. Until her recent hospitalization, she held a daily one-hour vigil outside Downing Street.
A UN panel has concluded that el-Fattah’s continued detainment was illegal, in direct violation of Article 482 of the Egyptian Criminal Code which requires that time served in pretrial detention is deducted from prison sentences. According to Can Yeğinsu, el-Fattah’s attorney, “The UN working group has delivered a clear and unequivocal decision: Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s detention is arbitrary and in breach of international law. Egypt is now obligated to release Alaa immediately.”
The international human rights community—organization leaders, Nobel Laureates, writers, and public figures—joined together in March 2025, urging Sisi to grant el-Fattah a presidential pardon.
Moreover, Prime Minister Keir Starmer pressed President Sisi for el-Fattah’s release on 28 February after meeting with Soueif following her first hospitalization. This launched subsequent negotiations between the United Kingdom and Egypt, and as a result, Soueif increased her caloric intake to 300 calories per day. However, as talks stalled, Soueif reverted back to a full hunger strike, putting her health at renewed risk. On 1 March, el-Fattah began his own hunger strike while imprisoned.
In light of Starmer and Sisi’s recent call on 22 May and mounting international pressure, we issue an urgent call for el-Fattah’s release.
“The international community must use all diplomatic channels possible to pressure Egypt to release Alaa Abd el-Fattah,” IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said. “As his mother’s health is in increasingly critical condition, we urge Egyptian authorities to end his unlawful imprisonment.”