Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has directed authorities to consider a possible pardon for prominent Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, according to a statement from the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights.
Abd el-Fattah, 43, has been a leading symbol of resistance to authoritarian rule and has spent most of the past decade in prison.
Abd el-Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison in December 2021 for sharing a social media post about a prisoner’s death.
He has been on a hunger strike since September 1, protesting his detention. His mother, Laila Soueif, had also gone on a hunger strike, which she ended earlier this month after her health deteriorated.
Abd el-Fattah then shifted to a partial hunger strike in late July after his name was removed from Egypt’s terrorism list.
The Egyptian National Council for Human Rights stated that President Sisi has ordered the relevant authorities to review the petition for a presidential pardon, which includes Abd el-Fattah’s name among seven others.
Abd el-Fattah rose to prominence during the Arab Spring uprising in 2011 and has frequently challenged the authorities’ crackdown on dissent.
Despite previous campaigns and pressure from the British government, including a plea from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Abd el-Fattah remains in prison.
