US EditionImprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah on list for presidential pardon and release
Alaa Abd el-Fattah has served most of a five-year sentence for activism and social media posts amid a crackdown on dissent after Egypt's 2013 military takeover.
- On Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi instructed officials in Cairo to review the possibility of granting a pardon to activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who remains imprisoned.
- This order comes after a petition was presented to the president, prompted by appeals from the families of prisoners seeking new opportunities for those incarcerated, including Abd el-Fattah.
- Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a 43-year-old Egyptian-British activist who was arrested in 2019 and later received a five-year prison term in late 2021 for allegedly spreading false information, has undertaken hunger strikes alongside his mother to protest his imprisonment.
- Human rights lawyer Tarek el-Awady said this is the first time President Sisi has ordered a review after many local and international calls, and el-Awady noted the release would signal the government responds to legitimate public demands.
- While the pardon process remains at the president's discretion and can be lengthy, this move follows removal of Abd el-Fattah's name from Egypt's terrorism list and raises hopes for his release despite prior denials.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Will Egyptian Pres. Sisi Soon Free Jailed Activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah?
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has reportedly ordered authorities to reexamine the case of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and six others on humanitarian grounds. Abd El-Fattah, who came to national prominence during the so-called Arab Spring protests of 2011, has been imprisoned for years on charges of “spreading false news,” but his family and supporters say he has been targeted for his pro-democracy activism. “The attempt to crush the spirit of A…
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered on Tuesday a review of a petition from the National Council for Human Rights to issue a presidential pardon for a number of prisoners, including prominent activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, according to an announcement from the Egyptian presidency...
Radio France Internationale
France24Egypt's Sisi orders study of pardon for activist Alaa Abdel Fattah
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered authorities on Tuesday to study a petition for a presidential pardon for prominent rights activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, the state-affiliated human rights…
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