Egypt pardons top activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah after six years in prison, state TV says
Presidential pardon announced by state media and the activist’s lawyer; five other prisoners also pardoned, release timing unclear
CAIRO — Egyptian authorities on Monday, September 22, 2025, announced the presidential pardon of prominent activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, according to his lawyer Khaled Ali and an announcement by Egypt’s state TV. Abd el-Fattah, who has spent six years in prison, is a top activist and was a leading voice in the country’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising, whose hunger strikes behind bars and his ordeal became emblematic of Egypt’s democratic backsliding.
State media reported that the president also pardoned another five prisoners. It was not immediately clear when they will walk free.
Khaled Ali, Abd el-Fattah's lawyer, confirmed the pardon to ABC News. Ali did not provide details on when the activist would be released. There was no immediate word on the fate of the other five prisoners pardoned with Abd el-Fattah.