A coalition of 59 Egyptian and international civil society organizations has called for the release of Egypt’s most prominent political activist, Alaa Abdel Fattah, as his five-year prison sentence comes to an end on September 29. Concerns have mounted despite this scheduled release due to revelations by Abdel Fattah’s lawyer that Egyptian authorities might extend his detention until 2027 (Egyptian Forum).
The organizations argue that authorities must comply with Egyptian law, which mandates that pretrial detention periods be deducted when there are multiple cases. Abdel Fattah’s lawyer, Khaled Ali, has pointed out that authorities refuse to count the two years Abdel Fattah spent in pretrial detention from 2019 to 2021 as part of his sentence. This situation arose despite his sister, Sanaa Seif, being released under similar conditions (Facebook).
Abdel Fattah’s family, including his sisters Sanaa and Mona Seif, have been advocating for his immediate release, underscoring the injustice of each additional day he remains in detention (YouTube, X). Mahmoud Shalaby, an Egypt Researcher at Amnesty International, emphasized that Abdel Fattah has already endured nearly a decade of imprisonment for peacefully exercising his human rights and warned that extending his detention would constitute another cruel injustice (Amnesty International).
Alaa Abdel Fattah, an Egyptian-British writer and critic of the Egyptian regime, was first imprisoned in 2014 for participating in a protest. He was rearrested in 2019 amid a crackdown following anti-government protests and sentenced in 2021 to five years for “spreading false news.” Observers have noted the trial was grossly unfair (CPJ).
The civil society organizations are urging Egypt’s international partners, including the UK government, to pressure the Egyptian authorities to release Abdel Fattah in accordance with national laws. The situation remains fluid as the coalition continues to push for his release.