Following years of international pressure, Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, issued a presidential pardon on September 22, 2025, for Alaa Abd el-Fattah, one of the country's most prominent pro-democracy activists. The move marks a significant development for a figure whose imprisonment became a global symbol of Egypt's crackdown on dissent.
Abd el-Fattah, a dual British-Egyptian citizen and a key voice in the 2011 Arab spring uprising, had been imprisoned for nearly 12 years on various charges, including participating in unauthorized protests and spreading false news. He was re-arrested in 2019 and was expected to complete a five-year sentence in September 2024 but remained in detention until the pardon was announced.
While the release has been widely welcomed by advocacy groups, it occurs within a grim context described by human rights organizations as a "mounting human rights crisis". A joint report by Egyptian and international groups highlights systemic issues, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture, which persist under the current administration.
Despite the positive step of Abd el-Fattah's pardon, rights monitors point to a pattern of continued repression. In August 2024, Human Rights Watch reported that at least four government critics, including journalists and researchers, were arbitrarily detained and faced unsubstantiated terrorism-related charges for their legitimate expression.
Furthermore, the legal profession has not been immune. In June 2024, United Nations experts called on the Egyptian government to stop using counter-terrorism legislation to target human rights lawyers. The experts cited the cases of lawyers Mohamed Issa Rajeh and Mahmoud Abdelmajeed Adel, who faced investigations solely due to their work documenting violations and providing legal aid.
Concerns intensified in early 2025 when, ahead of its Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council, Egyptian authorities reportedly escalated their crackdown on civil society. Amnesty International noted the summoning of prominent activist Hossam Bahgat for questioning as a signal of the government's continued effort to silence dissenting voices.
Beyond political dissent, the human rights landscape is troubled on other fronts. The censorship of LGBTQ issues remains prevalent, with authorities using vaguely worded laws against "debauchery" and "violating family principles" to prosecute individuals and erase their narratives from public view. Meanwhile, challenges surrounding violence against women persist, with the COVID-19 pandemic reportedly exacerbating the situation for many women in Egypt.
The Egyptian government has consistently denied allegations of systemic abuse, framing its security measures as necessary for national stability.
The pardon of Alaa Abd el-Fattah is viewed as a major victory for his family and international campaigners. However, human rights organizations stress that it should be a first step toward broader, systemic reforms to address the deep-rooted issues of due process, freedom of expression, and the detention of thousands of other political prisoners who remain behind bars.