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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has granted a presidential pardon to Alaa Abdel Fattah, a prominent Egyptian-British activist who became a symbol of opposition to his government’s crackdown, Egypt’s official newspaper reported Monday.
The pardon follows repeated international appeals for Abdel Fattah’s release after his prolonged imprisonment and multiple hunger strikes. He had been held on charges widely criticized by human rights groups.
The decision came in response to a petition submitted Sept. 9 by the state-appointed National Human Rights Council. The council, empowered by the constitution to make such appeals, requested pardons for several convicts after appeals from families seeking reunification.
Abdel Fattah, 43, was among seven individuals pardoned. Others included:
Abdel Fattah’s family has long been active in Egyptian civil society. His late father, Ahmed Seif El-Islam Abdel Fattah Hamad, was a leftist lawyer and rights advocate imprisoned under both Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak. His mother, Laila Soueif, is a mathematics professor and political activist.
His sisters, Mona and Sanaa Seif, are also human rights campaigners and were among his strongest advocates internationally.
Sanaa has been imprisoned twice: first in 2014, after which she was released through a presidential pardon, and again in 2020 for one and a half years on charges of "spreading false news."
Alaa Abdel Fattah’s sister, Mona Seif, reacted to the presidential pardon news saying: “My heart is about to stop.”
Meanwhile, his other sister, Sanaa Abdel Fattah, said, “Sorry, I can’t answer the phone. We found out from the news, just like you. We have no idea where he will be released from, we are going to the prison to ask.”
Sanaa also clarified that the decision has not yet been officially published in the government newspaper nor delivered to the prison.
This means some time remains before it can be implemented. The pardon is expected to take effect tomorrow, and the public is advised not to go to the prison at this time.
Abdel Fattah’s case had drawn global attention, particularly during the COP27 climate summit hosted by Egypt in 2022. Rights groups and Western governments pressed Cairo for his release. His name was also removed earlier this year from Egypt’s “terrorism” list.
Analysts described el-Sisi’s move as a positive gesture toward political reconciliation. But others urged caution, noting that while the pardon has been announced, Abdel Fattah remains in custody until it is officially implemented.
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