![Activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah speaks during a conference at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, in 2014 (Nariman El-Mofty/AP]](https://observatorioglobal.udlap.mx/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Activist-Alaa-Abd-el-Fattah-speaks-during-a-conference-at-the-American-University-in-Cairo-Egypt.webp)
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a prominent Egyptian-British activist and writer, has been pardoned after nearly six years in prison and multiple hunger strikes. The pardon, announced in Egypt’s official gazette, followed an appeal from the National Council for Human Rights, according to Al Qahera News reports.
Abd el-Fattah was originally arrested in September 2019 and sentenced in December 2021 to five years for “spreading false news” and harming national interests. Rights groups criticised the ruling as a “grossly unfair trial,” highlighting concerns about judicial independence and the broader crackdown on dissent in Egypt.
He rose to prominence during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak, emerging as a leading pro-democracy activist and voice for political reform. Previously, he was sentenced in 2015 to five years for violating protest laws, linked to demonstrations following the coup led by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Although released on probation in March 2019, he was rearrested within six months, underscoring ongoing tensions between the government and opposition figures.
Reference
Al Jazeera . (2025, September 22). Egypt grants presidential pardon to activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/22/egyptian-british-activist-alaa-abd-el-fattah-granted-presidential-pardon