On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchBritish-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been released from prison in Egypt after spending over a decade behind bars, following a presidential pardon issued by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.The 43-year-old writer and father had become one of Egypt’s most prominent political prisoners, having spent most of his adult life in jail on what human rights groups said were trumped up charges. While behind bars, he missed the birth of his son, Khaled, and also the death of his father Ahmed Seif al-Islam, who was also a prominent human rights lawyer. His mother, Laila Soueif – also a British citizen – had campaigned tirelessly for his release and earlier this year nearly died on a hunger strike that lasted over 280 days, according to medics.Alaa was finally released at 1am Tuesday local time, calling his family after he had been driven to Cairo from Wadi El-Natrun prison, located along the desert road to the north coast of the country.His youngest sister, Sanaa Seif, who was waiting outside the prison for him all evening, later wrote on Facebook: “Alaa is home. He called me from our neighbour’s number while we were at the prison waiting. We’re on our way back to him.”Later, his other sister Mona shared photos of him in an emotional embrace with their mother and sister at a family flat in Cairo, writing: “An exceptionally kind day. Alaa is free.”News of his release came after it was confirmed that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had granted him a full pardon. President Sisi, Egypt’s former military chief, has ruled Egypt with an iron grip since coming to power following a military coup in the 2013. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper had said earlier that she “strongly” welcomed news he had been pardoned, adding: “I’m grateful to President Sisi for this decision. We look forward to Alaa being able to return to the UK and reunite with his family.”Abd el-Fattah comes from one of Egypt’s most well-known families of activists, writers and intellectuals who have campaigned tirelessly for human rights, for decades.open image in galleryHis mother, Laila Soueif – also a British citizen – had campaigned tirelessly for his release (PA)His family have spearheaded gruelling years of advocacy for his release, with his mother starting a lengthy hunger strikes, camping outside 10 Downing Street and eventually meeting Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this year to lobby on her son’s behalf. Over the course of her 287 day hunger strike she was hospitalised at St Thomas’ Hospital in London and came close to death on two occasions, in late February and in June 2025.A former blogger, Abd el-Fattah had originally become one of the most recognisable faces of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that led to the ousting of long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak. He had already been detained before the uprising and was repeatedly arrested in the turbulent years that followed.However, it was his outspoken criticism of the crackdown on dissent after then-army chief Sisi violently seized power that led to his longest prison sentences. In 2014, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for protesting without permission — later reduced to five years.He was released in 2019 but remained under parole. Later that year, he was arrested again and accused of spreading false news after sharing a social media post about a prisoner’s death. He was sentenced to another five-year term.After he finished his full term, his mother intensified her campaign in September 2024, However, prosecutors insisted he should remain in custody until January 2027 as they discounted the year he spent in pre-trial detention.open image in galleryAlaa after he was freed on Tuesday, embracing his mother Laila who nearly died campaigning for his release (Alaa Abd-el Fattah’s family)Despite numerous international campaigns calling for his release, particularly during the COP27 climate summit which was hosted by Egypt in 2022, the outlook was bleak. Former British Ambassador to Egypt John Casson has called for Alaa’s release, and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Richard Ratcliffe have spoken out in support of Alaa’s family. There has been support for the campaign from numerous celebrities and a ruling from the United Nations’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) declaring Alaa’s imprisonment unlawful and calling for his release.The only chink of hope on the horizon emerged in September when President Sisi ordered officials to examine the possibility of a pardon. It followed and earlier move this year when Abd el-Fattah’s name was removed from Egypt’s “terrorism” list, paving the way for his release.
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British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah released from Egyptian prison after Sisi pardon, family says
