ReutersBritish-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah was stopped from flying to the UK by Egyptian passport management earlier this week, his household says.
Mr Abdel Fattah, 43, was Egypt’s greatest identified political prisoner till seven weeks in the past, when he was launched from jail after being granted a pardon by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
He tried to fly to London on Tuesday together with his sister Sanaa, however was informed by officers at Cairo Worldwide Airport that he was not allowed to journey.
“They blocked him from boarding the flight and I needed to go alone,” Sanaa informed the BBC’s At this time programme on Friday. There was no fast remark from the Egyptian authorities.
“They did not clarify a lot. Our attorneys in Egypt are attempting to grasp the authorized grounds,” Sanaa stated.
She added that her brother had his British passport in addition to a lately renewed Egyptian passport.
“I assumed after the renewal of the Egyptian passport that he can be allowed.”
Alaa Abdel Fattah’s 13-year-old son, Khaled, lives together with his mom in Brighton, the place he attends a particular wants college as a result of he’s on the autism spectrum.
Khaled spent a month visiting his father in Cairo following his launch from jail, however he has now returned to the UK.
“We’re actually glad to have [Alaa] again in our lives partially free, however he must have freedom of motion to reside together with his son, reunited with him correctly,” Ms Seif stated.
She added: “Khaled wants his father. My nephew… may be very, very snug in his college and his set-up in Brighton. We will not change. We will not hold creating instability.”
Ms Seif stated the UK Overseas, Commonwealth & Improvement Workplace had been speaking along with her household over the problem, however she known as on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s workplace to additionally give it their consideration.
The FCDO stated in a press release: “President Sisi’s determination to pardon and launch Alaa Abdel Fattah was extraordinarily welcome information and a major step ahead.”
“We proceed to press for his pressing return to the UK on the highest ranges with the Egyptian authorities so he might be reunited together with his household. The case stays a precedence problem for the UK authorities.”
On Thursday evening, Alaa Abdel Fattah and his mom got the 2025 Magnitsky Award for “Braveness Below Fireplace”. Sanaa needed to gather the award on their behalf.
Mr Abdel Fattah rose to prominence through the 2011 rebellion in Egypt that compelled long-time President Hosni Mubarak to resign.
He spent most of his time in jail after 2014, the 12 months after Sisi led the army’s overthrow of Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohammed Morsi, following anti-government protests.
Whereas in energy, Sisi has overseen what human rights teams say is an unprecedented crackdown on dissent that has led to the detention of hundreds of individuals.
In 2015, a court docket sentenced Mr Abdel Fattah to 5 years in jail for taking part in an unauthorised protest.
In September 2019, solely six months after he had been launched on probation, he was arrested once more and held in pre-trial detention for greater than two years.
He was convicted in December 2021 of “spreading false information” for sharing a publish a couple of prisoner dying of torture and handed one other five-year sentence following a trial that human rights teams stated was grossly unfair.
His 68-year-old mom, Leila, launched a 287-day starvation strike final September 2024 to protest towards his imprisonment. She misplaced greater than 40% of her unique physique weight and was twice admitted to hospital in London.
