A British-Egyptian activist who was jailed for “spreading false news” has been pardoned after spending most of the past 12 years in jail, according to his lawyer.
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, 43, became a prominent pro-democracy campaigner and blogger during the Egypt Uprising of 2011 that led to the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak.
In 2014, the father-of-one was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment — later reduced to five — for protesting without permission.
He was eventually released in 2019, but was detained shortly after for sharing a social media post about the poor treatment of Egyptian prisoners, leading to another five-year term at Wadi el-Natrun prison.
However, authorities refused to count the two years he spent in pre-trial detention towards his time served.
During his second spell in jail, his relatives claimed he was abused by security guards and locked up without sunlight or books.
Mr Fattah has British citizenship through his mother Laila Soueif, a London-born mathematics professor.
Last year, Ms Soueif went on hunger strike over his case and met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to lobby for her son's freedom.
On Monday, Mr Fattah’s lawyer Khaled Ali posted on Facebook: "God is the judge. The President of the Republic has issued a decree pardoning Alaa Abdel Fattah. Congratulations."
His pardon was also reported by state media.
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, his sister Mona revealed that she and her mother were "heading to the prison now to inquire from where Alaa will be released and when".
According to Al-Qahera News, Mr Fattah is one of six people whose sentences President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi commuted following a request from the National Council for Human Rights.
Emily Thornberry, chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, said she was "absolutely delighted" about Mr Fattah's release.
She said: "Laila, Mona, Sanaa and Alaa's entire family's tireless campaign for his release has been incredibly moving — their love for him was clear when I met Sanaa last year.”
