• Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after nearly 12 years in prison.
• The pardon follows plea actions by the National Council for Human Rights amid international pressure.
• His family expressed joy upon his release, emphasizing the need for broader human rights reforms in Egypt.
• Abd el-Fattah's activism has made him a prominent symbol of the fight for democracy in Egypt.
• His case has drawn attention from international governments and rights organizations, highlighting systemic issues in Egypt's legal system.

Prominent Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah was released late Monday after being granted a presidential pardon by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. This decision comes after Abd el-Fattah spent almost 12 years in prison on charges including "spreading false news" and participating in protests following the Arab Spring uprising in 2011, which he was active in, according to aljazeera, bbc, and trtglobal.

The announcement of his release was met with joyous reactions from his family, especially from his mother, Laila Soueif, who had staged a lengthy hunger strike during his imprisonment. She expressed profound relief, stating, "We're happy, of course. But our greatest joy will come when there are no political prisoners in Egypt," according to indiatimes and cbsnews.

Alaa Abd el-Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison in 2021 after his arrest in 2019, which followed a crackdown on dissent in Egypt. His activism and subsequent imprisonment made him a significant figure in discussions surrounding human rights violations in the country. The pardon followed petitions made by the National Council for Human Rights and pressure from international entities, including the UK government, who had been advocating for his release, noting that his detention was arbitrary, as reported by lemonde and reuters.