Alaa Abd El-Fattah is a British-Egyptian writer and prominent pro-democracy activist who rose to prominence during Egypt’s 2011 uprising. On 20 December 2021, he was sentenced to five years in prison by the State Security Misdemeanour Court for “spreading false news that would affect the national security of the country”, a charge stemming from a social media post criticising prison conditions. The trial was widely condemned for lacking basic international standards of fairness, including the defence team’s inability to access the 2000 pages case file and the absence of a right to appeal.

Despite completing his sentence on 29 September 2024, Egyptian authorities continue to detain Abd El-Fattah, refusing to count his over two years of pre-trial detention towards his sentence, effectively extending his incarceration until 2027. His mother, Laila Soueif, a British-Egyptian academic and human rights activist, has undertaken multiple hunger strikes to protest his ongoing imprisonment, highlighting the deteriorating health conditions of both herself and her son. Alaa Abd El-Fattah’s case has garnered international attention, with calls from human rights organisations and foreign governments for his immediate release. Notably, in 2024, he was honoured with the PEN Pinter Prize’s “Writer of Courage” award, recognising his unwavering commitment to freedom of expression despite severe repression.

On 23 September 2025, Abd El-Fattah was freed from Tora prison, following a presidential pardon.