Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Caspar Barnes

Moment Alaa Abd el-Fattah is reunited with family after release from prison

This is the moment British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah was reunited with his family after being released from prison in Egypt on Tuesday 23 September.

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned the British-Egyptian activist after he spent six years in prison.

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.

Mr Abd el-Fattah was initially sentenced in 2014 for “protesting without permission” and later re-arrested in 2019 on accusations of spreading fake news.

Mr Abd el-Fattah’s mother Laila Soueif has campaigned tirelessly for his release, including through a hunger strike that lasted for more than 280 days.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.