Sisi Orders Review of Petition for Alaa Abdel Fattah’s Pardon

TDT | Manama

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has instructed authorities to review a petition seeking a presidential pardon for prominent activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, the National Human Rights Council announced on Tuesday.

The council said the petition, submitted on behalf of several detainees, was made following appeals from families hoping their loved ones could be given “a new chance in life.” Among them is Abdel Fattah, a 43-year-old dual Egyptian-British activist, who has spent most of the last decade in jail.

Abdel Fattah rose to prominence during Egypt’s 2011 uprising but has been repeatedly imprisoned under successive governments. His latest arrest in 2019 led to a five-year sentence in 2021 for “spreading false news” after sharing a Facebook post about alleged torture in Egyptian prisons.

Earlier this year, a court removed his name from the country’s terrorism list, saying there was no evidence linking him to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The United Nations has described his detention as arbitrary and has called for his release.

Abdel Fattah and his mother, activist and academic Laila Soueif, have both staged hunger strikes over his continued imprisonment. His mother ended hers after 10 months, while Abdel Fattah began a full hunger strike in September, escalating from a partial strike that started in March.

The Egyptian presidency has not commented on the petition, and approval of a pardon remains solely at the discretion of the president. The British government has also repeatedly raised Abdel Fattah’s case with Cairo, including during recent talks between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Sisi.

While Egypt has issued pardons for several political prisoners in recent months, Abdel Fattah remains behind bars.