Mother of Egyptian activist starts hunger strike to call for his release

LONDON (AP) — The mother of a prominent Egyptian rights activist has said that she has started a hunger strike to pressure authorities to release her son Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who rose to prominence with the 2011 pro-democracy uprisings that swept the Middle East and in Egypt toppled long-time President Hosni Mubarak. Laila Soueif, mother of the imprisoned rights activist, said in a statement Monday that her son, who is 42, should have walked free after completing a 5-year prison sentence as of September 29. Abdel-Fattah, an outspoken dissident, spent most of the past decade behind bars and his detention has become a symbol of Egypt’s return to autocratic rule under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.