In Solidarity with Laila Soueif and Alaa Abd el-Fattah

Statement from the Narges Foundation

26th May 2025

We at the Narges Foundation stand in solidarity with Laila Soueif, justice seeker mother of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British-Egyptian writer and activist unjustly imprisoned in Egypt.

We are extremely concerned about the state of Laila Soueif’s health due to her continued hunger strike and her choice to put her body on the line, consuming only water, rehydration salts, and black tea or coffee as a protest of her son’s situation.

It is an act born of desperation and fierce determination, a mother’s last resort in the face of years of arbitrary imprisonment and silencing.

Alaa Abd el-Fattah has already spent years in Egyptian prisons. Instead of being released after completing his five-year sentence last September, the authorities have chosen to extend his suffering, claiming that his pretrial detention does not count—prolonging his incarceration until 2027.

We recognize in Laila Soueif’s act the echoes of mothers around the world who resist oppression not only for their children, but for the future of all children around the world. Her clarity, conviction, and willingness to use “every gram” of her body as a tool for justice speak to a deep and rare courage.

As a foundation founded in the name of another imprisoned mother, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi, we understand the pain of separation. We urge the international community—and particularly the British government—to act with urgency and resolve to secure Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s immediate and unconditional release.

Laila Soueif should not have to become a martyr to be heard. Her son should not have to languish behind bars for having a voice.

#FreeAlaa

Narges Foundation
Paris – May 2025