Overview

• The British-Egyptian activist was released overnight in Cairo, a day after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi granted him clemency, with his family sharing photos of their reunion.
• The decision followed a request from Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights and Sisi’s order to review potential clemencies, after a Cairo court removed Abd el-Fattah from the terrorism list.
• British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the move and said the UK looks forward to Abd el-Fattah returning to Britain to reunite with his family.
• A UN working group ruled in May that his detention was arbitrary, while his case drew global attention through prolonged hunger strikes by Abd el-Fattah and his mother, Laila Soueif.
• Relatives say a travel ban still restricts him, and rights groups praised his release while pressing Egypt to free other detainees held for peaceful speech.