Laila Soueif, on 247th day of hunger strike for jailed British-Egyptian son, defiant in face of death

Laila Soueif, who has lost 42% of her body weight, has not eaten for more than eight months and doctors say she is at risk of sudden death. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

Laila Soueif, lying shrunken on a hospital bed at St Thomas’ hospital in London on the 247th day of her hunger strike in pursuit of freedom for her son, imprisoned British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, is locked in what may prove to be her last of many trials of strength with Egypt’s authoritarian regime.

A remarkable, witty and courageous woman, she has the self-awareness to admit: “I may have made a mistake, God knows,” but she will not back down, and anyone looking back at her rich life has little evidence to doubt her perseverance.