Alaa Abd el-Fattah hugs his mother Laila Soueif, following his release from prison and pardon by Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Image: #FreeAlaa
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Sönmez: ‘A Remarkable Writer and Activist’
Various parts of the PEN network and associated humanitarian organizations today (September 23) are cheering the pardon and release on Monday (September 22) of Alaa Abd El-Fattah by Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
The British-Egyptian El-Fattah had been arrested six years ago, in September 2019, convicted of “spreading fake news.” Counting several jailings and detentions prior to the five-year sentence, El-Fattah reportedly has been incarcerated most of the last 12 years and now in his early 40s.
He served a five-year sentence and then was held another year following the September 2024 conclusion of his sentencing. It appears that El-Fattah may still be barred from traveling to the United Kingdom to be with his son.
Not unlike the 2016 winner of the International Publishers Association‘s (IPA) Prix Voltaire winner, Raif Badawi of Saudi Arabia, the writer, software developer, and activist El-Fattah is a blogger involved in developing Arabic-language editions of software and platforms.
PEN International’s account of his 2021 sentencing says that he was charged for sharing a Facebook post about torture in prisons. The PEN International account also says that El-Fattah was denied British consular and attorney visits.
Burhan Sönmez
Burhan Sönmez, president of PEN International, is quoted, saying, “We are thrilled to see Alaa reunited with his family and friends and look forward to seeing him together with his son in the UK.
“He’s a remarkable writer and activist who should never have been imprisoned.
“While celebrating Alaa’s release, we remember all writers imprisoned for their expression. Egyptian authorities should end their ruthless repression of critical voices and release all those who remain detained for their expression.”
At CNN, Mostafa Salem writes that El-Fattah’s sister Mona “confirmed the release of Abd El-Fattah, a 42-year-old dual Egyptian-British citizen, on X early Tuesday, posting a picture of the activist beaming as he was reunited with family members.”
Reuters’ account today indicates that El-Fattah was pardoned and released along with five other inmates, and that he has become Egypt’s most prominent political prisoner. His mother, Laila Soueif, an activist herself, has been one of his staunchest supporters and met earlier this year with Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, in soliciting his help for her son.
In a #FreeAlaa news release carried by English PEN, it’s clear how successful Laila Soueif’s and others’ work had been in gathering support for her son.
“Over the course of the last year,” the release reads, “the campaign to free Alaa has had huge cross-Parliamentary support, including from a number of senior UK parliamentarians. Former British ambassador to Egypt John Casson has called for Alaa’s release, and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Richard Ratcliffe have spoken out in support of Alaa’s family. There has been support for the campaign from numerous celebrities and a ruling from the United Nations’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), declaring Alaa’s imprisonment unlawful and calling for his release.”
Some of our readers will recall that the author Arundhati Roy shared her PEN Pinter Prize from English PEN last year with Alaa Abd El-Fattah.
The Associated Press, in its coverage from Monday (September 22), reports, “Alaa Abd el-Fattah was one of the most prominent Egyptian activists in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising and his detention became emblematic of the fraying of Egypt’s democracy. He took part in the 2011 uprising that toppled autocratic former President Hosni Mubarak, and later was active in protests against human rights abuses and military trials of civilians.”
Programming Notes
The International Publishers Association and PEN International have quite a bit of programming in play during Frankfurt relative to the freedom-of expression elements of this news.
On “Frankfurt Wednesday,” IPA president Gvantsa Jobava and PEN International president Burhan Sönmez will host a program celebrating “freedom of expression defenders” and the new IPA Freedom of Expression Defenders award.
Date: October 15
Time: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. (reception follows)
Venue: Frankfurt Messe Congress Center, Room Fantasie
On “Frankfurt Thursday,” the IPA presents What Can We Do To Resist Attacks on the Trinity of Freedoms?
“The freedom of expression, the freedom to publish, and the freedom to read are all coming under increasing pressure from a range of directions. What practical tools are available to the book sector to resist these attacks? And what can international publishers do to support each other?”
Publishing Perspectives moderates with speakers Anke Steinecke, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel U.S., Penguin Random House (USA); Jaeho Kang, Korean Publishers Association (Korea); and Sherif Bakr, Al Arabi (Egypt)
Date: October 16
Time: 10 to 10:50 a.m.
Venue: Center Stage, Hall 4.1
Also on “Frankfurt Thursday,” PEN International board member Ege Dundar moderates The Future of Writing and Free Expression: Promoting Young Voices and Peer-to-Peer Solidarity Around the World
Speakers include Fatoumata Sissi Ngom, Zoya Miari, and Nedim Türfent
Date: October 16
Time 5 p.m.
Venue: Center Stage, Hall 4.1
More from Publishing Perspectives on issues of the freedom to publish and freedom of expression is here, more on the Prix Voltaire is here, more on the Egyptian market is here, and on the International Publishers Association is here.
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