Egyptian President Considers Pardon for Alaa Abd el-Fattah

On Tuesday, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered a study on pardoning Alaa Abd el-Fattah, an Egyptian-British activist and blogger. Abd el-Fattah, a prominent figure during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, has spent much of the last decade incarcerated.

Abd el-Fattah, 43, began a hunger strike on March 1, which he recently modified to a partial strike after his removal from Egypt's terrorism list. His activism and relentless opposition to harsh governmental crackdowns have often led to his imprisonment.

His current five-year sentence was imposed in December 2021 after he shared a controversial social media post. President al-Sisi's decision to study a potential pardon comes amid growing international attention on Abd el-Fattah's case.

(With inputs from agencies.)