|
Human rights organisations, including the Observatory (FIDH-OMCT), writers and public figures have written to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi urging a presidential pardon for Egyptian-British writer and activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who has been arbitrarily detained since 28 September 2019. Imprisoned almost continuously since 2014, Alaa’s situation has become all the more urgent since his mother was recently admitted to hospital after a 150-day hunger strike to demand her release.
His Excellency Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
President of the Arab
Republic of Egypt
Office of the President
Al Ittihadiya
Palace
Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt
March 4, 2025
Dear President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,
We, a group of leaders from human
rights organizations, writers, and public media figures, appeal to
you to grant clemency to Egyptian-British writer Alaa Abdel-Fattah,
who has spent nearly a decade in prison and now faces two more years
in detention—despite grounds in Egyptian law that would have led
his family to expect his release, taking into consideration the time
he spent in pre-trial detention.
In a profound act of desperation, his mother, Professor Laila
Soueif—a respected 69-year-old Egyptian academic—has endured over
150 days of hunger strike to protect her son and safeguard her
grandson’s future. Her health has now severely
deteriorated, and she has been hospitalized. Doctors
warn
that she faces an "immediate risk of sudden death with continued
fasting."
Mr. President, as the leader of all Egyptians, the power to end this
suffering lies solely in your hands. Granting Alaa a presidential
pardon under Article 155 of the Egyptian Constitution would reunite a
mother with her son and signal a commitment to justice and
compassion. At a time of regional instability, such an act of
clemency would demonstrate the Egyptian leadership’s responsiveness
to its own people's needs, serving as a sign of strength and mercy.
This appeal comes not only from his family
but also from Egyptian
politicians, a broad coalition of
Egyptian women, and the wider international
community—urging a decision that upholds humanitarian values and
the rule of law.
The world is watching, and history will not forget this act of
humanity. As families across Egypt gather each evening in Ramadan to
break their fast, one mother refuses to eat. With each passing day,
her strength fades—her only prayer is to see her son free. A
presidential pardon is not just justice; it is an act of humanity.
Let history remember not a tragedy, but a reunion: Alaa free, holding
his son, and Laila Soueif breaking her fast with the family she so
longs to be with. This Ramadan, let them share a meal, like millions
of Egyptian families, for the first time in years.
Respectfully,
|
