Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi on Monday issued a pardon for prominent activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a presidential statement said.

Mr Al-Sissi has pardoned a number of convicted people, after taking the constitutional and legal procedures in this regard, the statement said, listing Mr Abdel-Fattah’s name along with five others.

Mr Abdel-Fattah, a key figure in Egypt’s 2011 anti-government uprising, was expected to be released from prison after his sentence ended in September 2024, but has remained in custody in Egypt.

Two weeks ago, the National Council for Human Rights submitted a petition to Mr Al-Sissi requesting a presidential pardon for Mr Abdel-Fattah and several others.

Mr Abdel-Fattah, who also holds British citizenship, has gone on hunger strike several times over the past year.

His mother, Laila Soueif, also went on a hunger strike for months.

In 2013, Mr Abdel-Fattah was arrested while protesting and jailed for five years.

Months after his release, he was arrested again and sentenced to another five years in prison on charges of spreading fake news, an accusation his family dismisses as politically motivated. 

(dpa/NAN)