UK PM calls arrival of blogger and Egyptian government critic, who spent 12 years in prison, \u2018profound relief\u2019.<\/p>\n
Published On 26 Dec 202526 Dec 2025<\/p>\n
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the Egyptian-British activist and blogger Alaa Abd El-Fattah<\/a> has returned to the United Kingdom after spending nearly 12 years as a political prisoner in Egypt.<\/p>\n Starmer on Friday called the return of Abd El-Fattah, who was pardoned<\/a> by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in September after years of detention, a \u201cprofound relief\u201d.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n \u201cI want to pay tribute to Alaa\u2019s family and to all those that have worked and campaigned for this moment,\u201d Starmer said. \u201cAlaa\u2019s case has been a top priority for my government since we came to office. I\u2019m grateful to President Sisi for his decision to grant the pardon.\u201d<\/p>\n The Egyptian-British writer was the most well known of six prisoners pardoned by el-Sisi this year after a series of hunger strikes and calls<\/a> from international groups and leaders for his freedom.<\/p>\n The former blogger had been previously jailed in 2011 during Egypt\u2019s uprising against former leader Hosni Mubarak. He later emerged as an outspoken critic of el-Sisi, who seized power in a military coup<\/a> in 2013.<\/p>\n Abd El-Fattah was given a 15-year prison sentence in 2014 on charges of spreading false news before being temporarily released in 2019 and given another five-year sentence the same year.<\/p>\n Egyptian authorities deny holding political prisoners and argue that the government only jails activists for breaking the law.<\/p>\n Like other freed detainees, Abd El-Fattah faced a travel ban after his release in September. But early on Friday, he wrote a cryptic post on X announcing his departure from Egypt: \u201cIs it possible, kids, that we will say bye?\u201d<\/p>\n