British-Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah has arrived in London after the Egyptian government lifted a travel ban that had been imposed on him following his release from jail in September. His arrival was announced by his mother, Laila Soueif, on Facebook. Abd el-Fattah had been held in jail nearly continuously for 10 years, mainly for expressing opposition to the treatment of dissidents by the Egyptian government, and was detained two years beyond his five-year sentence because authorities refused to recognise pre-trial detention as part of his time served.
An earlier attempt to leave Cairo for London in November was blocked by security forces. Since then, he had been negotiating an agreement allowing him to travel freely between Cairo and London without being permanently excluded from Egypt. The family believes the agreement permits him to travel back and forth between the two countries.
His sister Mona Seif said: “I can’t believe it’s finally happened and Alaa has made it to London. We thought it was impossible, but here he is. Hundreds of people around the world did so much to help bring this moment about. Alaa is free and we can finally begin to heal as a family.” James Lynch of FairSquare, a human rights organisation that worked alongside the family, said: “I’m delighted that Alaa has safely returned to the UK to be reunited with his son after such a lengthy ordeal lasting well over a decade.”
Abd el-Fattah’s mother twice came close to death during an extended eight-month hunger strike to pressure the UK Foreign Office to do more for his release. Prime Minister Keir Starmer made three calls to Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, and UK national security adviser Jonathan Powell also personally urged the Egyptians to end his detention. However, the Egyptians never allowed British consular visits, saying they did not recognise his dual citizenship. Changes in the Egyptian embassy in London may have helped produce a less inflexible stance.
Abd el-Fattah has a teenage son, Khaled, who lives in Brighton and attends a special educational needs school. The boy visited him in Cairo soon after his release. Starmer commented: “I’m delighted that Alaa is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones. Alaa’s case has been a top priority for my government since we came to office. I’m grateful to President Sisi for his decision to grant the pardon.”
