Actor and activist Khalid Abdalla to show his solidarity with the family

Laila Soueif will mark the 81st day of a hunger strike on behalf of her jailed son Alaa Abdel Fattah with a Christmas vigil outside Downing Street on Thursday 19 December (5:30-7:00 pm).

Abdel Fattah, a 43-year-old UK national, is a prominent blogger and writer who’s been in detention in Egypt since September 2019. He has already served a five-year jail sentence on trumped-up charges of “spreading false news” after a grossly unfair trial, yet earlier this year his family were told he wouldn’t be released until January 2027 as the authorities refuse to count the time he previously spent in pre-trial detention as part of his prison sentence.

Soueif, 68, has been on a hunger strike for nearly three months as part of the family’s campaign to pressure the UK government into doing more to secure Abdel Fattah’s release from jail and safe return to the UK. Soueif is calling on the Prime Minister to do his utmost to bring her son home by Christmas.

Soueif and other family members will attend the vigil on Thursday, where there will be candle-lit carol singing, photographs of Abdel Fattah and placards saying “Free Alaa”. The family say the gathering will be “warm and joyful”.

The actor and activist Khalid Abdalla will be among many well-wishers attending the vigil, including Amnesty activists.

Event details

What: Christmas vigil with candle-lit carol singing and ‘Free Alaa’ placards

Who: Laila Soueif and other members of Alaa Abdel Fattah’s family, supporters including Khalid Abdalla and Amnesty activists

Where: outside 10 Downing Street, London SW1A 2AA

When: Thursday 19 December 2024, 17:30-19:00