Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Monday pardoned several prisoners, including prominent Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has been in prison since 2019. The president's decision came in response to a plea from the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), which had submitted a request about two weeks ago for the pardon of certain prisoners. The president directed that the request be studied in accordance with constitutional and legal procedures. The NCHR had appealed to Al-Sisi for the release of Abdel Fattah, 43, and six others who were serving final prison sentences. At the time, the council said a presidential pardon would be a "very important moral boost for the families of the detainees and contribute to restoring their psychological and social stability." The pardon decree covers the remainder of the sentences for Abdel Fattah and five others: Saeed Maghly El-Daw Aliwa, Karam Abdel Samie Ismail El-Saadany, Walaa Gamal Saad Mohamed, Mohamed Abdel Khalek Abdel Aziz Abdel Latif, and Mansour Abdel Gaber Ali Abdel Razek. Abdel Fattah was sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison on charges of joining a group established in violation of the law, spreading false news, misusing social media, and participating in a terrorist group. The verdict came more than two years after he was arrested in September 2019. In late July, his name was removed from Egypt's terrorism lists by a Cairo criminal court. In a statement, the NCHR welcomed the president's decision, calling it a "practical embodiment of the constitutional powers vested in the President of the Republic, and a step that reflects a growing trend to enhance the components of swift justice and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms." The council said the response to its appeals "elevates the approach of institutional participation" and reflects a growing recognition of the council's role as the national mechanism for protecting and promoting human rights. "This decision is a tangible addition to the path of implementing the National Strategy for Human Rights, enhances the climate of trust between state institutions and society, and sends a clear message that the balance between the requirements of criminal justice and the principles of human mercy is a sustainable approach in public policies," the NCHR statement read.
