Who is Alaa Abd El-Fattah? The Egyptian activist at the centre of a new row for Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has faced criticism for celebrating the return of activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah to the UK from detention in Egypt after past social media posts resurfaced.
Mr Abd El-Fattah, a dual British-Egyptian national, was detained in Egypt in September 2019 before being sentenced to five years in prison in December 2021 on charges of spreading false news.
UN investigators described his imprisonment as a breach of international law and he was released this September after being pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, before returning to the UK on 26 December after intense lobbying by the Conservative and Labor governments.
The Prime Minister said on Friday that he was “delighted” to have Mr Abd El-Fattah reunited with his loved ones in the UK.
“[They] Sir Keir wrote on X (formerly Twitter) and added: “I want to pay my respects to Alaa’s family and everyone who worked and campaigned for this moment.”
However, posts dating back to 2010 emerged in which the activist called for violence against “Zionists” and the police; This led to figures such as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and UK Reform leader Nigel Farage calling for an investigation into the revocation of the activist’s British citizenship.
Mr Abd El-Fattah issued a “firm” apology for the content of the posts, attributing them to “a young man’s anger and frustrations at a time of regional crises (wars in Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza) and increasing police violence against Egyptian youth”.
Who is Alaa Abd El-Fattah?
Mr. Abd El-Fattah comes from a family of activists and writers. He was granted UK citizenship in December 2021 under Boris Johnson’s administration, reportedly through his UK-born mother Laila Soueif.
The blogger and political activist was a leading voice in Egypt’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising; This uprising resulted in the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak and he went on a hunger strike behind bars.
He became one of Egypt’s most prominent political prisoners, spending most of his adult life in prison on what human rights groups described as trumped-up charges.
While in prison, he missed both the birth of his son Khalid and the death of his father, human rights lawyer Ahmed Seif al-Islam.
His family advocated for his release for years; His mother went on prolonged hunger strikes, camped outside 10 Downing Street and eventually met Sir Keir earlier this year to lobby on her son’s behalf.
Mr. Abd El-Fattah’s criticism of the crackdown on dissent after then-General Sisi seized power led to his longest prison sentence. In 2014, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for protesting without permission, which was later reduced to five years.
He was released in 2019 but remained on parole. Later that year, he was arrested again and charged with spreading false news after posting on social media about the death of a prisoner. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
His mother stepped up her campaign after he completed his full term in 2024, but prosecutors decided to ignore the year he spent in pre-trial detention and insisted he remain in custody until January 2027.
Numerous international campaigns called for his release, and his name was removed from Egypt’s “terrorism” list earlier this year, paving the way for the end of his detention.
Labour’s Conservative predecessors in government had also lobbied for Mr Abd El-Fattah’s release.
Controversy over past social media posts
Mr Abd El-Fattah apologized for the content of his posts on Monday, saying: “Just as I was reunited with my family for the first time in 12 years, I was shocked that some of my historic tweets were republished and used to question and attack my integrity and values, and turned into calls for the revocation of my citizenship.”
He added: “Looking back at the tweets, which have not now been completely distorted from their meaning, I realize how shocking and hurtful they were and for that I publicly apologize.”
Following the release of the statement, shadow home secretary Chris Philp branded Mr Abd El-Fattah a “scum” and added that he was “not really interested” in his apology.
Downing Street condemned the tweets but defended Sir Keir’s entry into the UK, with his spokesman saying: “In all cases, and as we have done in the past, we welcome the return of a British national who has been wrongfully detained abroad.”
He continued: “This is at the heart of Britain’s commitment to religious and political freedom.
“However, this does not change the fact that we condemn the nature of these historic tweets, that we consider them disgusting, and have been very clear about that.”
Downing Street said Sir Keir was “unaware of the historic tweets” until the activist entered the UK.
