Overview
- His family and Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed his arrival, with the PM calling it a priority case and thanking President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the pardon.
- He flew from Cairo after Egyptian authorities lifted a post-release travel restriction on 20 December, and he is set to see his 14-year-old son in Brighton.
- Abd el-Fattah, 44, spent much of the past decade in custody and became one of Egypt’s most prominent political prisoners after convictions for “spreading false news.”
- Criticism followed the government’s public welcome as reports resurfaced of old social media posts attributed to him that appear to endorse violence against Zionists and police, which previously led to a withdrawn Sakharov Prize nomination.
- A government spokesperson said securing his return had been a long-standing cross-party priority, while rights groups and his family highlighted sustained campaigning, including his mother’s prolonged hunger strike.