British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah arrives in U...

What’s Happening

So get this: Family say campaigner, who has a son in Brighton, will be able to travel freely between UK and Cairo months after his release from Egyptian jail The British-Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah has arrived in London after the Egyptian government lifted a travel ban that it had imposed on him despite releasing him from jail in S 0:57 Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah reunited with family after release from prison – video Egypt British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah arrives in UK after travel ban lifted Family say campaigner, who has a son in Brighton, will be able to travel freely between UK and Cairo months after his release from Egyptian jail Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor Fri 26 Dec 2025 12.

57 EST Last modified on Fri 26 Dec 2025 16. 33 EST The British-Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah has arrived in London after the Egyptian government lifted a travel ban that it had imposed on him despite releasing him from jail in September . (and honestly, same)

Abd el-Fattah had been held in jail nearly continuously for 10 years, mainly because of expressing his opposition to the treatment of dissidents government.

The Details

He had been detained in jail two years beyond his five-year sentence as the Cairo authorities refused to recognise the period he held in pre-trial detention as part of his time served. A previous attempt -Fattah to leave Cairo for London in November after his release from jail, was blocked forces a month ago.

He has since been trying to negotiate an agreement where allowed to travel freely between Cairo and London and not be permanently excluded from Egypt if he came to the UK. His arrival in London was just dropped , Laila Soueif, on Facebook.

Why This Matters

His sister Mona Seif dropped: “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.

This is part of the larger geopolitical picture unfolding right now.

Key Takeaways

• Alaa is free and we can finally begin to heal as a family.
• ” The family believe the agreement will allow him to travel back and forth between the UK and Egypt.
• View image in fullscreen Alaa Abd el-Fattah pictured in September in Cairo after he was given a presidential pardon.

The Bottom Line

” The family believe the agreement will allow him to travel back and forth between the UK and Egypt. View image in fullscreen Alaa Abd el-Fattah pictured in September in Cairo after he was given a presidential pardon.

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