Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah has arrived in the UK following his release from an Egyptian prison in September after a presidential pardon.
His family and Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the news on Friday,
The 44-year-old has long been considered Egypt’s most high-profile political prisoner, having spent much of his adult life incarcerated for his activism.
He stands as a rare symbol of dissent against the extensive crackdown overseen by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
His prolonged detention, coupled with repeated hunger strikes, sparked widespread international calls for his freedom.
Abd el-Fattah acquired British citizenship in 2021 through his mother, Laila Soueif.
She confirmed his return on Facebook: “Praise be to Allah, Alaa reached London safely”.
In a longer statement, his family said he flew to Britain on Friday from Cairo after his travel ban was lifted by Egyptian authorities on December 20. The statement said he would shortly be reunited with his 14-year-old son Khaled, who lives in Brighton in southern England with his mother.
“I’m delighted that Alaa Abd el-Fattah is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones, who must be feeling profound relief,” Starmer said on social media platform X.
“I want to pay tribute to Alaa’s family, and to all those that have worked and campaigned for this moment.”
Despite campaigns calling for Abd el-Fattah’s release, notably during the COP27 climate summit that Egypt hosted in 2022, Sisi pardoned him in September this year, having ordered authorities to study his possible pardon. Abd el-Fattah’s name had been removed from Egypt’s “terrorism” list months earlier.
On Friday, Starmer also thanked the president for his decision to grant the pardon.
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