He has been in prison for nine years. He is not doing it now because he wants to die, but because it is the only way he can live again. He is in prison for all but one year of his son’s life for his writings on democracy and technology and his anti-authoritarian stance. The whole world is watching what is happening in Sharm el-Sheikh, from where I write this, and is betting its life on the belief that the world will stand with it today. The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is currently in Egypt. He wrote to me on Saturday saying he was committed to my brother’s release, both as a British citizen and as a human rights defender. He will probably leave Egypt in a few hours. If Alaa isn’t on the plane with him, I fear the worst. He is already so weak from the hunger strike that I don’t know how many hours he can last without water. My mother is now out of jail and waiting for the letter we usually get on Mondays. It may be the last proof of life we ​​ever have. I flew to Sharm El Sheikh and arrived in the early hours today to continue the campaign for my brother’s release. It is a risk to return to Egypt, where I have also been imprisoned three times in my struggle to free my brother, but I must do everything I can to save his life. He could die at any time, and we wouldn’t even know it. So we ask the UK government from now on to ensure at least ‘proof of life’ once a day. So far, the UK government has not even managed to gain consular access to Alaa in prison, a key request. It is an international humiliation for the UK Government that the Egyptian regime can treat a British citizen in this way. Sunak has a chance to use his power to fix that today. This is his first international visit, a test of his stature on the world stage. I can only hope and believe that in a few hours Alaa will be with him on the plane back to London. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words via email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.