Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah freed after Sisi pardon

Alaa Abd El-Fattah is considered among the astir high-profile governmental prisoners held successful Egypt’s prisons.

Prominent Egyptian-British quality rights activistic Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been freed aft spending astir of the past 12 years successful prison, his household said, a time aft Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pardoned him and 5 different prisoners.

“I can’t adjacent picture what I feel,” Abd El-Fattah’s mother, Laila Soueif, said from her location successful Giza aboriginal connected Tuesday arsenic she stood adjacent to her son, surrounded by jubilant household and friends.

“We’re happy, of course. But our top joyousness volition travel erstwhile determination are nary [political] prisoners successful Egypt,” she said.

Considered to beryllium among the astir high-profile governmental prisoners successful Egypt, Abd El-Fattah’s lengthy imprisonment and repeated hunger strikes had prompted planetary pleas for the Egyptian authorities to merchandise him.

The erstwhile blogger had been detained earlier the Arab Spring uprising that toppled Egypt’s hardline leader, Hosni Mubarak, successful 2011 and during the years of upheaval that followed.

But it was his disapproval of authorities crackdowns connected governmental dissidents aft then-army main el-Sisi gained powerfulness successful Egypt successful 2014 that landed him his lengthiest situation stints by far.

In 2014, helium was sentenced to 15 years successful situation for protesting without permission. He was concisely released successful 2019, but remained connected parole, and was arrested again aboriginal that twelvemonth and sentenced to different five-year term.

Friends, household and supporters shared photos connected societal media of the activistic aft his release, showing a smiling Abd El-Fattah embracing his parent and different relatives.

British-Egyptian activistic Alaa Abd El-Fattah, centre, who was released from situation aft Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi issued a statesmanlike pardon for him, stands adjacent to his mother, Laila Soueif, left, and sister, Sanaa, astatine their location successful Giza, Egypt, connected September 23, 2025 [Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters]

His sister, Mona Seif, celebrated her brother’s merchandise connected societal media: “The satellite is afloat of nightmares, injustice, violence, and galore things that interruption the heart.. but we tin instrumentality a enactment and springiness happiness a accidental to capable our hearts.. and support going.”

“Oh Lord, the aforesaid joyousness for the families of each the detainees,” she wrote successful a abstracted post.

“Can you ideate if this happened, however overmuch quality and happiness would capable our satellite successful a azygous moment?”

An exceptionally benignant time 💛

Alaa is escaped pic.twitter.com/nmg4oROSTi

— Mona Seif (@Monasosh) September 22, 2025

Abd El-Fattah’s lengthy detention had go emblematic of the fraying of Egypt’s democracy.

“I powerfully invited the quality that Alaa Abd El-Fattah has received a Presidential pardon,” United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.

“I’m grateful to President Sisi for this decision. We look guardant to Alaa being capable to instrumentality to the UK, to beryllium reunited with his family.”

Abd El-Fattah, who obtained UK citizenship done his parent successful 2021, comes from a household of well-known activists and intellectuals who had launched respective campaigns for his release.

His parent met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this twelvemonth to lobby for her son’s release.

Intensifying her run successful September 2024, erstwhile she was expecting her son’s merchandise owed to the clip helium spent successful pre-trial detention, Soueif staged a lengthy hunger onslaught successful the UK, ending it lone aft pleas from her household arsenic her wellness importantly deteriorated.

Starmer had promised helium would bash everything helium could to unafraid the merchandise of Abd El-Fattah, who has besides staged aggregate hunger strikes successful detention, astir precocious successful aboriginal September, to protestation against his imprisonment and successful solidarity with his mother.

But his most melodramatic hunger strike was successful 2022, arsenic Egypt hosted the yearly United Nations clime acme successful the Red Sea edifice of Sharm el-Sheikh. The onslaught ended erstwhile Abd El-Fattah mislaid consciousness and was revived with fluids.

Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights, a state-funded body, besides welcomed his release, saying it signalled a increasing accent connected swift justness for Egyptian authorities.