Prominent Egyptian-British human rights activist and writer Alaa Abdel El-Fattah has reunited with his family after receiving a presidential pardon that ended nearly six years in jail.
A video from his Cairo apartment showed the 43-year-old laughing with his mother Laila Soueif and sister Sanaa Seif, celebrating his first moments of freedom, BBC reported.
His mother said she could not describe her emotions as she stood beside her son surrounded by relatives and friends.
Sanaa Seif said the release was a huge relief after years of international campaigning, while his aunt, novelist Ahdaf Soueif, described it as “tremendous relief” following years of worry.
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Sisi pardons El-Fattah
El-Fattah was released from Wadi al-Natrun prison on September 22, a day after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned him and several other prisoners.
Sisi pardoned El Fattah together with Saeed Magally Al-Dou Aliwa, Karam Abdel Samee Ismail, Al-Saadany, Walaa Gamal Saad Mohamed, Alaa Ahmed Seif El-Islam Abdel-Fattah Hamad, Mohamed Abdel Khalek Abdel Aziz Abdel Latif and Mansour Abdel Gaber Ali Abdel Razek.
According to a presidential statement, the decision followed constitutional and legal procedures, as well as an appeal from the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), which urged clemency in several cases.
The NCHR said granting pardons would reflect “the humanitarian dimension of the state” and show the president’s concern for family unity, Ahram Online reported.
El-Fattah accused of spreading false news
The decision overturns Egypt’s earlier plan to release El-Fattah only in January 2027, despite years of international pressure
He was arrested in September 2019 and sentenced in December 2021 to five years for allegedly spreading false news and harming Egypt’s national interest — charges slammed by United Nations experts and rights groups as unlawful.
“Mr. El-Fattah remains in prison despite having completed his most recent sentence on 29 September 2024 because Egyptian authorities refuse to acknowledge the time he spent in pre-trial detention,” UN experts previously said.
In 2015, El-Fattah was sentenced to five years for violating protest laws introduced after Sisi led a coup against Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi.
El-Fattah rose to prominence as a pro-democracy activist and blogger during the 2011 uprising that forced Hosni Mubarak to resign after three decades in power.
El-Fattah’s mother stages hunger strike
The government’s refusal to release him earlier drove his mother to stage a hunger strike in protest, severely affecting her health.
Authorities said the 68-year-old lost over 40% of her body weight and was twice hospitalised in London due to dangerously low blood sugar.
A mathematics professor and long-time activist, Laila consumed only herbal tea, black coffee and rehydration salts since her son was not freed on schedule in September 2024.
She ended her nine-month hunger strike in July after assurances from the United Kingdom government that it was doing everything possible to secure his release.
Rights groups, UK govt laud Sisi’s decision
The NCHR welcomed the Egyptian government’s decision, saying that the move reflects Sisi’s constitutional authority to grant pardons and shows progress towards bolstering justice in the country.
“This reinforces the constitutional principle that prioritises human dignity and the right to reintegration,” the group said in a statement.
Human Rights Watch called the release “long overdue good news,” while Reporters Without Borders UK said they were “deeply relieved” he could finally enjoy freedom.
In addition to rights groups, the UK government, which has been pushing for his release for years, said that they welcome Egypt’s decision to grant him a presidential pardon and allow him to be with his family again.
“I’m grateful to President Sisi for this decision. We look forward to Alaa being able to return to the UK, to be reunited with his family,” British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper said.
Hope for other political prisoners
El-Fattah’s family and rights groups hope his long-awaited release will pave the way for other political prisoners to be freed.
His sister Mona Seif expressed optimism that the pardon would mark the start of releasing others jailed under Sisi’s rule and the end of a “very dark chapter.”
HRW also hoped the decision would “act as a watershed moment and provide an opportunity for Sisi’s government to end the wrongful detention of thousands of peaceful critics.”
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