Egyptian activist and writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah, long regarded as a symbol of the country’s democratic decline, has been granted a presidential pardon after years behind bars. Abd el-Fattah should have been released in 2024, but authorities refused to count the more than two years he spent in pre-trial detention, extending his sentence until January 2027. His continued imprisonment sparked widespread criticism at home and abroad, and his mother staged a 10 month hunger strike that left her in critical condition.
Earlier this month, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered a review of the case after Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights appealed for Abd el-Fattah’s release. On Monday, the council confirmed the pardon, calling it “a step that underscores a growing commitment to reinforcing the principles of swift justice and upholding fundamental rights and freedoms.” It remains unclear whether Abd el-Fattah will stay in Egypt or leave the country. His lawyer, Khaled Ali, said his client wishes to retain his Egyptian citizenship and continue living at home.
“I hope this pardon creates an opportunity to find a serious solution for prolonged pre-trial detentions and sentences against politicians and activists just because they had an opinion,” Ali said. Abd el-Fattah, one of the most prominent voices of Egypt’s 2011 uprising, had spent much of the past decade in prison under successive charges. His release is being closely watched as a potential signal of limited political reforms under President Sisi’s government.
