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Jailed activist's mother 'prepared' to die

Laila Soueif, whose son Alaa Abdel Fattah is being held in an Egyptian jail, in on hunger strike and says she is prepared to die "if that's what it takes" to secure Alaa's freedom.

The British-Egyptian activist has been held in the country after taking part in pro-democracy protests.

Speaking to Today's Anna Foster at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London, Laila said she "passionately" does not want to die, but will "allow" it to happen to get her family's life "back on track".

The UK government says it is committed to securing his release and has raised his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. We also contacted the Egyptian embassy for comment but received no response.

Listen to Today on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4 and ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Sounds: 6-9am on weekdays and 7-9am on Saturdays.

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Duration:

9 minutes