Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has granted a presidential pardon to British-Egyptian dual national activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a prominent blogger and dissident who has been a key figure in Egypt's political landscape. Abd el-Fattah was initially set for release after his sentence was to end in September 2024, but the pardon has facilitated his early release from custody.
According to Deutsche Welle, international pressure on the Egyptian government has been increasing, with the British government actively discussing Abd el-Fattah's case during high-level talks between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President el-Sissi. The United Nations also labeled his detention as arbitrary and called for his release. The pardon has removed one of Egypt's most well-known dissidents from a penal system that has been criticized by rights groups for its mass arrests and harsh conditions, though many activists remain incarcerated.
Abd el-Fattah's family campaigned tirelessly for his release. His mother, Laila Soueif, who is also an academic and activist, ended a 10-month hunger strike recently. Abd el-Fattah himself initiated a partial hunger strike in March, escalating to a full strike in September to show solidarity with his mother.
The 43-year-old activist emerged as a central figure during Egypt's 2011 uprising and has spent much of the past decade in prison under various administrations since the Arab Spring. Initially imprisoned in 2014 for participating in an unauthorized protest and allegedly assaulting a police officer, he was released in early 2019. However, he was re-arrested later that year and sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison for "spreading false news" following a Facebook post about alleged torture in Egyptian jails.
Abd el-Fattah's most dramatic hunger strike occurred in 2022 during a UN climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, ending only after he lost consciousness and required medical intervention. During this period, the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany privately advocated for his release in discussions with el-Sissi.