Egypt has pardoned Egyptian-British human rights activist and writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah after nearly six years in prison. The decision was announced on Monday in the government’s official gazette, following an appeal from the National Council for Human Rights, according to Al Qahera News.
Abd el-Fattah, a prominent pro-democracy blogger during Egypt’s 2011 uprising, had been serving a five-year sentence for “spreading false news” and harming national security. Rights groups described his trial as grossly unfair. He and his mother staged hunger strikes during his imprisonment.
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The activist was first jailed in 2015 for violating protest laws, released on probation in 2019, and rearrested within six months. In December 2021, he was sentenced again, drawing widespread condemnation from international human rights organisations.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in power since 2014, has been accused of jailing tens of thousands of critics. Abd el-Fattah’s release comes amid renewed scrutiny of Egypt’s human rights record.
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