Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd al-Fattah was released from prison on Monday, ending a six-year detention on charges widely decried as politically motivated, after the Egyptian government pardoned him and dropped all charges.

Family members shared news of Alaa Abd al-Fattah’s release the day after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned the prominent activist along with five other prisoners. His lawyer, Khaled Ali, welcomed the news, saying, “Praise be to God. May our Lord return every absent one to their family.”

Alaa Abd al-Fattah, a blogger and writer described by Amnesty International as “arguably the most high-profile political prisoner in Egypt,” gained prominence during the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak.

The activist has faced multiple arrests over the years. First imprisoned from 2014 to 2019, he served a 2015 prison sentence for unauthorized protests under the current Abdel Fattah al-Sisi regime. Just six months after his release, he was arrested again in 2019 where he was tortured by prison officials. In 2021, he was sentenced for spreading “false news undermining national security” via a social media post—charges advocates have decried as spurious. He remained in detention until 2025.

His case gained additional international scrutiny after his mother, a respected mathematics professor Laila Soueif, staged an eight-month hunger strike to protest the prison sentence. The British government has repeatedly sought consular access to Alaa Abd al-Fattah, a British citizen through his mother, but Egyptian authorities denied such visits.

Egyptian authorities had continued detaining Alaa Abd al-Fattah beyond his original sentence completion date in September 2024, extending his imprisonment until January 2027. His family and advocacy groups have repeatedly complained about the harsh prison conditions he was forced to endure.

Amnesty International and other organizations have consistently labeled Alaa Abd al-Fattah a “prisoner of conscience,” arguing his detention was solely linked to his peaceful activism and government criticism.

Alaa Abd al-Fattah’s case unfolded amid Egypt’s prolonged use of emergency powers under Article 154 of the constitution, which the government has repeatedly invoked to justify mass arrests and killings of activists and political opponents. His trial by an Emergency State Security Court in 2021 was part of a broader crackdown that human rights groups say has led to arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances.