Egypt court removes jailed activist Alaa Abdel Fattah from terror list

An Egyptian court ordered the removal of jailed activist Alaa Abdel Fattah from the country's terrorism list on Monday, just over a week after his mother ended a prolonged hunger strike demanding his release.

Abdel Fattah, a 43-year-old dual Egyptian-British national, was one of the most prominent figures in Egypt's 2011 uprising, but has spent much of the past decade in prison under successive governments.

Monday's ruling, issued by Cairo's Criminal Court, said that security investigations no longer showed evidence of Abdel Fattah's involvement in any activity linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Lawyer Khaled Ali, who has represented the activist for years, confirmed the decision in a statement.

While the court's ruling lifts several restrictions -- including an asset freeze and travel bans -- it was not immediately clear whether it would lead to Abdel Fattah's release.

Abdel Fattah completed a five-year sentence for "spreading false news" late last year, but has remained in detention without fresh charges or trial.

The court's decision comes shortly after his mother, academic Laila Soueif, ended a 10-month hunger strike calling for his release.

Soueif, 69, had begun the strike in September 2024, when her son was due to be freed.

In March, Abdel Fattah himself began a partial hunger strike in solidarity with his mother, reportedly consuming only black coffee, herbal tea and rehydration salts.

A UN panel of experts has described his detention as arbitrary and called for his immediate release.

Despite recent presidential pardons for several other political prisoners, Abdel Fattah has remained behind bars.

The UK government has repeatedly raised his case with Egyptian authorities, most recently in talks between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.