(15 Nov 2022)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cairo - 15 November 2022
1. Mid of Laila Soueif holding letter she received from her son, imprisoned activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah
2. Close of letter
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Soueif, mother of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah:
"My first feeling was surprise, and then there was relief of course, because he says that he's ended his hunger strike. And the fact that he says clearly, 'I want to celebrate my birthday with you on my next visit', is to me, an indication that he means to assure me that he's feeling alright."
4. Close of letter
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Soueif, mother of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah:
"I'm not reassured about anything else and I won't be until I see him, and understand how this came about because I have no idea how this came about, I have no idea why he took this step, has he been promised something, what has been told to him, what has been hidden from him, I have no idea."
6. Close of Soueif's face
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Soueif, mother of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah:
"I don't think Alaa would be forced to write any letter, it has happened before that they have tried to force him to write letters, or to write what they want in a letter, and he has refused."
8. Close of Soueif's face
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Soueif, mother of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah:
"Do not stop watching what is happening in Egypt, do not start feeling comfortable, not even when Alaa gets out, because there are thousands of other prisoners, the world has to keep watching not just in Egypt everywhere."
10. Various of Soueif with letter
STORYLINE:
The mother of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah on Tuesday spoke of her relief after receiving a letter from her son saying he had ended his hunger strike.
Laila Soueif said: "My first feeling was surprise, and then there was relief of course."
But Soueif said she couldn't be reassured until she had seen him.
"I'm not reassured about anything else and I won't be until I see him, and understand how this came about because I have no idea how this came about, I have no idea why he took this step."
The letter stated: ''I've broken my strike. I'll explain everything on Thursday."
The circumstances under which he wrote the letter were not clear.
The activist had previously said he was willing to die in his strike if not freed.
The family has not seen Abdel-Fattah since the last pre-allotted visit on Oct. 24 and has not been given information on his condition.
In the note, Abdel-Fattah asks his mother to bring a cake to celebrate his 41st birthday, which is on Friday.
The meetings, conducted behind a glass barrier, usually last for around 20 minutes.
"To me, it's an indication that he means to assure me that he's feeling alright," Soueif said.
Fears had been mounting over Abdel-Fattah's life since he stopped intake of all food, then stopped drinking water on Nov. 6, escalating a months-long partial hunger strike to pressure for his release.
His strike was timed to coincide Egypt's hosting of the international climate summit, known as COP27, to draw attention to his case and those of other political prisoners.
His partial hunger strike began on April 2, after which he was consuming only 100 calories a day.
The news comes a day after the renowned dissident announced the end of his water strike via a similar handwritten letter delivered to the family.
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