Fasting for Son's Freedom, Mother of Jailed British Egyptian Activist Demands U.K. Pressure Egypt

Laila Soueif is on the 75th day of a hunger strike calling for the U.K. government to push for the release of her son, jailed Egyptian British author and activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah. Charged with spreading false news, Alaa remains imprisoned in Egypt despite having completed his sentence in September. Human rights group say he has been subjected to torture, beatings and horrific treatment while in prison. "Since neither government appears to do anything about political prisoners except when there is a crisis, I'm hoping to create a crisis," says Soueif, who vows to reunite her son and grandchild, 13-year-old Khalid. "Alaa has missed all of his childhood. They need to be together, and until that happens, I'm not going to go back on my word. I'm on hunger strike until either I collapse or that happens."

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.