Cairo, Egypt – The family of prominent Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah reports that he has been barred from leaving the country. According to his sister, Sanaa Seif, Egyptian authorities prevented Abdel Fattah from boarding a flight to the United Kingdom at Cairo International Airport. No immediate comment has been issued by Egyptian officials regarding the incident.
Abdel Fattah, who holds British citizenship, was reportedly traveling to the UK to receive the Magnitsky Human Rights Award. Seif stated that her brother was stopped at passport control on Tuesday and denied departure. She accepted the award on his behalf on Friday.
The activist was released in September following a presidential pardon, after serving nearly a decade in prison. In July, a Cairo criminal court ordered his removal from the list of terrorist entities, based on judicial investigations.
Neither Abdel Fattah’s family nor his legal representatives have provided further details regarding the reasons for the travel ban.
Alaa Abdel Fattah is a well-known figure from the January 25, 2011 revolution. He has spent much of the past decade in prison. His most recent arrest occurred in 2019, resulting in a five-year sentence related to sharing a social media post concerning police brutality. He was previously arrested in 2014 for participating in an “unauthorized protest” and allegedly assaulting a police officer. He was briefly released in 2019 before being re-arrested.
