British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has been freed and reunited with his family after almost six years of imprisonment in Egypt.
One of the country's most prominent political prisoners, he was pardoned by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on Monday, reportedly after a request from the National Council for Human Rights.
Video of the blogger and pro-democracy activist, 43, at home after his release shows him grinning widely and jumping up and down as he celebrates with his sister and mother.
Laila Soueif, who went on an extensive hunger strike during her son's imprisonment, said on his release: Despite our great joy, the biggest joy is when there are no [political] prisoners.
Abdel Fattah was released from Wadi al-Natrun prison late on Monday and celebrated reuniting with his family at his mother's apartment in Giza.
I cannot yet comprehend that this is real, his sister Sanaa Seif said.
The activist was arrested in 2019 during a crackdown on dissent and sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of spreading false news for sharing a post about a prisoner dying of torture.
Just two weeks prior to his release, Sisi ordered the authorities to study NCHR's petitions for the release of Abdel Fattah and six other inmates, based on the humanitarian and health conditions of their families.
His family reported that he was due for release in September 2024; however, the two years he spent in pre-trial detention were not counted by Egyptian authorities towards his sentence.
His mother, Laila Soueif, had initiated a prolonged hunger strike to advocate for his release. She had been hospitalized several times and came close to death during her 287-day strike, which ended on 14 July after a parliamentary statement indicated that Abdel Fattah would likely be freed.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously pledged to secure Abdel Fattah's release and numerous lawmakers supported his cause.
It remains uncertain whether Abdel Fattah will be allowed to travel to the UK to be with his son; however, his sister expressed that his release would feel more significant when her brother's son arrives from traveling.
Abdel Fattah first gained notoriety during the 2011 uprising in Egypt which led to the resignation of long-time President Hosni Mubarak.
He has spent significant time in prison since 2014, following the military's overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi.
Under Sisi’s government, human rights organizations have reported severe repression of dissent, resulting in the detention of thousands.
Although Abdel Fattah obtained British citizenship in 2021, the Egyptian government has never permitted consular visits by British diplomats.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention previously found that Abdel Fattah had been arbitrarily arrested for exercising his freedom of expression and denied a fair trial.
Despite the Egyptian government's claims regarding his trial, the UN panel asserted that he remained detained due to his political beliefs.
