Egypt’s President Sisi pardons activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah
Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been granted a presidential pardon after years of imprisonment and multiple hunger strikes, Al Qahera news reported on Monday.
Abd el-Fattah, 43, has long been one of Egypt’s most prominent political prisoners, detained repeatedly for his activism and criticism of crackdowns under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. His release follows years of local and international campaigns, including efforts by his mother, Laila Soueif, and lobbying by British officials. Abd el-Fattah obtained British citizenship through his mother in 2021, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
He was first imprisoned before the 2011 Arab Spring uprising and faced multiple convictions thereafter. In 2014, he received a 15-year sentence for protesting without permission, later reduced to five years. He was released in 2019 but re-arrested for allegedly spreading fake news, resulting in another five-year term.
Abd el-Fattah and his mother staged repeated hunger strikes to protest his detention, drawing global attention to his case. His name had been removed from Egypt’s terrorism list months earlier, paving the way for this presidential pardon.
Similar news
