The International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) welcomes news that British Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been pardoned and released by Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after his latest arbitrary detention of almost six years.
Mr Abd el-Fattah was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2014 for peacefully protesting. In 2019, he was released on parole but was re-arrested later that year and given a five-year prison sentence. In 2024, he completed his initial prison sentence of five years but remained unreleased as the authorities refused to count his period of pre-trial detention, contrary to Egyptian law. His sentence was for 'spreading false news', after he shared a Facebook post about torture in Egyptian protests. Both detentions were found by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to be unlawful on the basis of his lawful exercise of his freedom of expression, fair trial violations, and the discriminatory nature of his detention based on his political views.
The IBAHRI supported the campaign for Mr Abd el-Fattah's release led by his family, including his mother, Laila Soueif, who underwent a hunger strike of 287 days, his sister Sanaa Seif, and other family members. His release comes after their campaign, and the work of organisations such as FairSquare , Reporters Without Borders , English PEN , and the Committee to Protect Journalists , as well as his legal team in Egypt, Khaled Ali, and internationally, Can Yeginsu and his team at 3VB Chambers . The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office had also been working to secure the release of Mr Abd el-Fattah, as a British citizen. Following his pardoning and release, the IBAHRI hopes to see Mr Abd el-Fattah being able to return freely to the UK, where his son lives.
The IBAHRI notes that many other journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders remain in prison in Egypt, and calls for their unconditional and immediate release.
