Frail but beaming, Alaa Abd El Fattah, Egypt’s most prominent political prisoner, returned home and to his mother’s arms early Tuesday morning after Egypt’s president issued a pardon a day earlier.
His reunion with his family marks the culmination of a tenacious, years-long international campaign, championed by world leaders, Nobel laureates, and celebrities, to secure the freedom of one of Egypt’s most recognized pro-democracy voices from the 2011 Arab Spring protests.
On Monday, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt officially pardoned Mr. Abd El Fattah, who had endured imprisonment for most of the past 12 years, alongside five other detainees.
The 43-year-old activist was previously released in 2019 but was swiftly rearrested just six months later, remaining in custody until this recent pardon.
In the early hours of Tuesday, Mr. Abd El Fattah was captured on video, dancing joyfully amongst cheering supporters within his family’s Giza home. He was embraced by his sister, a fellow seasoned political activist, and his mother, Laila Soueif, whose visible elation masked the toll of the prolonged hunger strike she and her son had undertaken.
The persistent concern that Mr. Abd El Fattah might face indefinite detention drove both him and Ms. Soueif to undertake hunger strikes, which frequently resulted in her hospitalization. This courageous campaign significantly intensified pressure on Britain, leveraging their dual citizenship, to actively advocate for his release.
Ms. Soueif emphasized that her family’s profound happiness would only be truly complete when every political prisoner in Egypt regained their freedom.
“They are still on our minds,” she conveyed to a Reuters news team visiting their home. “The ultimate joy will be when not a single one of them remains imprisoned.”
Since President el-Sisi assumed power in 2013, Egyptian authorities have detained tens of thousands of individuals deemed political opponents. The majority of these individuals have languished in prison for months or even years without facing trial or receiving formal sentences.
Instead of releasing detainees upon reaching the legal limit for pretrial detention, prosecutors have frequently initiated new charges against them, thereby extending their time in custody indefinitely.
Egyptian officials have consistently offered dual narratives: either denying the existence of political prisoners altogether or justifying widespread arrests as essential for national security in the aftermath of the Arab Spring’s upheaval. Many detainees have been labeled as terrorists or accused of disseminating false information.
However, Mr. Abd El Fattah’s situation took a distinct turn, possibly due to intense international pressure or other undisclosed factors. He was removed from Egypt’s official terrorist list earlier this summer, and more recently, President el-Sisi himself directed authorities to review a petition for his release.
Sanaa Seif, Mr. Abd El Fattah’s sister, informed Reuters that her brother’s primary desire, once his travel ban is lifted, would likely be to journey abroad to reunite with his son.