Egypt Pardons Prominent Activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah After 12 Years Imprisonment

Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a prominent British-Egyptian activist and symbol of Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising, has been released from prison following a presidential pardon by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Abd el-Fattah, who has spent nearly a decade imprisoned under various Egyptian administrations, was most recently sentenced to five years for spreading false news after sharing allegations of torture in prison. His family, including his mother Laila Soueif and sisters Sanaa and Mona Seif, campaigned tirelessly for his release, including hunger strikes to draw international attention. The pardon came amid pressure from both domestic human rights groups and international actors, including the British government and European leaders. Abd el-Fattah's release was confirmed after the National Council for Human Rights petitioned for leniency on health and humanitarian grounds. His case has drawn global criticism of Egypt's human rights record and highlighted the crackdown on dissent under President Sisi's rule.