Egypt: Jailed activist expected to be given presidential pardon

Prominent Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah is reported to be on a list of prisoners set to be given a presidential pardon, according to The Associated Press, September 9.

Egypt’s Presidential office said in a statement that the activist may soon be released through a presidential pardon, with President el-Sisi himself issuing orders to government authorities to investigate an appeal by Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights (NCHRE). The appeal also raised concerns about the conviction of six individuals alongside el-Fattah.

El-Fattah is widely regarded as a symbol of Egypt’s political prisoners and the country’s restrictions on free speech. The Egyptian-British dual national was convicted and sentenced to 5 years in prison for spreading false news in 2021. His case has long been a concern for human rights observers, who consider him a political prisoner.

The appeal follows requests made by el-Fattah’s family, with the NCHRE citing humanitarian as well as health concerns.

The activist’s mother also ended an 8-month hunger strike earlier this year – which has caused her to suffer serious health consequences – after the British Government said it would do everything in its power to secure his release, according to Amnesty International.

The NCHRE submitted their request to President el-Sisi on September 8, which said their statement was “in view of the critical family circumstances faced by their relatives.”

The appeal went on to describe the extreme toll the imprisonment of their family member’s had on them, stating that: “such a decision would represent a deeply significant moral incentive for the families of those mentioned and would substantially contribute to restoring their stability as well as their psychological and social balance.”

Rising to prominence in 2011 during protests that would eventually bring down former President Hosni Mubarak, el-Fattah has already served much of his sentence, and to some is one of the many indicators of the democratic backsliding in Egypt.

El-Fattah is set to be held until 2027 if the President el-Sisi does not pardon him, as the Egyptian authorities denied that his 2 years spent in pre-trial detention should count toward his sentence. It’s a decision that, had it gone the other way, meant he would have completed his sentence already.

However, there appears to be good news on the horizon for el-Fattah’s family, as human rights lawyer and member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, Tarek el-Awady, who spoke to the Associate Press, believes that he will be able to walk free in a few days time. The human rights lawyer noted that President el-Sisi’s order to look into the NCHRE appeal came only a month after the activist’s name was removed from Egypt’s terrorism watchlist.

El-Awady explained that the decision could be a smart political move on behalf of el-Sisi, and may be an opportunity to reestablish trust between his government and the Egyptian public.

Until el-Fattah walks free, however, his family and advocates around the world will not rest, with his sister Sanaa Souief expressing her joy at the news on social media: “This is really promising, we hope these authorities follow through with urgency and that Alaa will be reunited with us soon.”

The Associated Press, Amnesty International, Maghrebi.org