Aseel Saleh
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi issued a pardon on Monday, September 22, for Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah and five other prisoners, following an appeal from the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights (NCHR). Abd el-Fattah has been one of the most visible faces in the struggle to free the tens of thousands of political prisoners in Egypt.
NCHR submitted the appeal on Monday, September 8, urging the Egyptian president to release the six prisoners, considering the humanitarian and health conditions of their family members.
The appeal reads:
“Proceeding from the Council’s constitutional and legal role, and the full faith in your Excellency’s paternal role in considering a number of humanitarian cases concerning some convicted individuals – whose families have submitted appeals to us requesting the release of their relatives, in light of the humanitarian and health conditions experienced by those families which require the presence of their loved ones – the Council emphasizes that the exercise of the right of presidential pardon falls within Your Excellency’s personal concern for the integrity of the Egyptian family, especially vulnerable groups (children, persons with disabilities, women and the elderly).”
As per the presidential pardon, the remainder of the prison sentences of the six prisoners will be annulled, and they will be released once the decree is published in the official gazette.
Who is Alaa?
Alaa Abd el-Fattah played a prominent role in the 2011 protests which brought down long-term ruler Hosni Mubarak and paved the way for democratic elections in the country. However, following the 2013 coup led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Alaa faced severe state persecution for his activism. He and his family members have been in prison several times in the last decade. Alaa was sentenced to five years in prison in 2014. However, within months of his release in 2019, he was rearrested along with lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer and placed under pre-trial detention for over two years, in violation of Egypt’s own laws. In December 2021, he was again convicted by an Egyptian court to five years in prison on charges of “spreading fake news”.
The trial was marred by several due process violations, including denial of access to evidence and case files to Fattah’s lawyers. The prison sentence was also not subject to appeal.
International Outcry and 10-month Hunger Strike of Alaa’s mother Were Not Heard by El-Sisi
NCHR’s appeals were preceded by international solidarity campaigns that have, for years, called for the freedom of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, whose imprisonment was perceived by many as politically motivated.
Alaa’s mother, 69-year-old Laila Soueif – herself a famous Egyptian activist – went on a 10-month hunger strike that began in September 2024, demanding the release of her son. She ended the hunger strike in July because her health severely deteriorated.
Meanwhile, British lawmakers and human rights organizations pleaded with the UK government to exert pressure on its Egyptian counterpart to have Alaa released.
Internal Pressure and Regional Geopolitical Factors May Have Shaped the Decision
Neither international outcries, nor Soueif’s prolonged hunger strike was heard by el-Sisi. However, he immediately accepted the appeal of the NCHR, which has been accused of being a “quasi-governmental council” that lacks independence and impartiality.
The historical alignment between the NCHR and the government has provoked many to ask why the Egyptian head of state decided to issue this pardon at this particular time.
Opposition to el-Sisi has been on the rise inside Egypt and abroad, especially in the aftermath of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation. Egyptian opponents have protested against the closure of the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, as it has blocked the only life-saving gate in front of Palestinians wishing to flee the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and prevented wounded people and patients from leaving the besieged enclave for treatment.
The Egyptian government further provoked the ire of its people, as well as international pro-Palestine movement, after cracking down on thousands of participants of the Global March to Gaza last June. Egypt’s security forces impeded the activists, who were planning to break the blockade on humanitarian aid imposed by Israel on Gaza, from reaching the Rafah border crossing.
Observers suggest that the decision to release Alaa Abd el-Fattah, and the other inmates, may have been made by el-Sisi to contain the volatile political situation in Egypt before it boils over amid regional geopolitical tension.
This tension has escalated in the last couple of weeks, with a reported military buildup of Egyptian troops and the deployment of the Chinese HQ-9B long-range air defense systems in the Sinai Peninsula, as Israel pushes for the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza towards Sinai.
In this regard, Indian historian, editor, and journalist Vijay Prashad commented on X:
“Welcome to Alaa Abd El-Fattah from the dungeons of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. I hope this means that the public pressure in Egypt will result in some kind of merciful treatment toward the Palestinians. Where is the Egyptian army when it can so easily enforce a no-fly zone over Gaza?
One step at a time, but then the next step please….?”
Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch
NCHR submitted the appeal on Monday, September 8, urging the Egyptian president to release the six prisoners, considering the humanitarian and health conditions of their family members.
The appeal reads:
“Proceeding from the Council’s constitutional and legal role, and the full faith in your Excellency’s paternal role in considering a number of humanitarian cases concerning some convicted individuals – whose families have submitted appeals to us requesting the release of their relatives, in light of the humanitarian and health conditions experienced by those families which require the presence of their loved ones – the Council emphasizes that the exercise of the right of presidential pardon falls within Your Excellency’s personal concern for the integrity of the Egyptian family, especially vulnerable groups (children, persons with disabilities, women and the elderly).”
As per the presidential pardon, the remainder of the prison sentences of the six prisoners will be annulled, and they will be released once the decree is published in the official gazette.
Who is Alaa?
Alaa Abd el-Fattah played a prominent role in the 2011 protests which brought down long-term ruler Hosni Mubarak and paved the way for democratic elections in the country. However, following the 2013 coup led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Alaa faced severe state persecution for his activism. He and his family members have been in prison several times in the last decade. Alaa was sentenced to five years in prison in 2014. However, within months of his release in 2019, he was rearrested along with lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer and placed under pre-trial detention for over two years, in violation of Egypt’s own laws. In December 2021, he was again convicted by an Egyptian court to five years in prison on charges of “spreading fake news”.
The trial was marred by several due process violations, including denial of access to evidence and case files to Fattah’s lawyers. The prison sentence was also not subject to appeal.
International Outcry and 10-month Hunger Strike of Alaa’s mother Were Not Heard by El-Sisi
NCHR’s appeals were preceded by international solidarity campaigns that have, for years, called for the freedom of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, whose imprisonment was perceived by many as politically motivated.
Alaa’s mother, 69-year-old Laila Soueif – herself a famous Egyptian activist – went on a 10-month hunger strike that began in September 2024, demanding the release of her son. She ended the hunger strike in July because her health severely deteriorated.
Meanwhile, British lawmakers and human rights organizations pleaded with the UK government to exert pressure on its Egyptian counterpart to have Alaa released.
Internal Pressure and Regional Geopolitical Factors May Have Shaped the Decision
Neither international outcries, nor Soueif’s prolonged hunger strike was heard by el-Sisi. However, he immediately accepted the appeal of the NCHR, which has been accused of being a “quasi-governmental council” that lacks independence and impartiality.
The historical alignment between the NCHR and the government has provoked many to ask why the Egyptian head of state decided to issue this pardon at this particular time.
Opposition to el-Sisi has been on the rise inside Egypt and abroad, especially in the aftermath of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation. Egyptian opponents have protested against the closure of the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, as it has blocked the only life-saving gate in front of Palestinians wishing to flee the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and prevented wounded people and patients from leaving the besieged enclave for treatment.
The Egyptian government further provoked the ire of its people, as well as international pro-Palestine movement, after cracking down on thousands of participants of the Global March to Gaza last June. Egypt’s security forces impeded the activists, who were planning to break the blockade on humanitarian aid imposed by Israel on Gaza, from reaching the Rafah border crossing.
Observers suggest that the decision to release Alaa Abd el-Fattah, and the other inmates, may have been made by el-Sisi to contain the volatile political situation in Egypt before it boils over amid regional geopolitical tension.
This tension has escalated in the last couple of weeks, with a reported military buildup of Egyptian troops and the deployment of the Chinese HQ-9B long-range air defense systems in the Sinai Peninsula, as Israel pushes for the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza towards Sinai.
In this regard, Indian historian, editor, and journalist Vijay Prashad commented on X:
“Welcome to Alaa Abd El-Fattah from the dungeons of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. I hope this means that the public pressure in Egypt will result in some kind of merciful treatment toward the Palestinians. Where is the Egyptian army when it can so easily enforce a no-fly zone over Gaza?
One step at a time, but then the next step please….?”
Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch
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