Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah returns to UK after travel ban lifted

Prominent Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah returned Friday to Britain, days after Egypt's attorney general lifted an apparent travel ban and following the 44-year-old's release from prison in September.

A key figure in Egypt's 2011 uprising, Abdel Fattah was granted a presidential pardon in September after having spent nearly a decade in prison, following years of advocacy by his family, rights groups and the UK government.

His mother, Laila Soueif, went on a lengthy hunger strike as part of the campaign for his release.

"I can't believe it's finally happened and Alaa has made it to the UK," his sister Mona Seif said in a statement.

"We thought it was impossible, but here he is," she added, noting hundreds of people "did so much to help bring this moment about" and that it meant the family can "finally begin to heal".

His sister previously revealed that, despite the pardon, Egyptian authorities had last month stopped Abdel Fattah from travelling at Cairo airport as he prepared to fly to Britain.

He will shortly be reunited with his 14-year-old son Khaled, who lives in Brighton with his mother and attends a special needs school because he is on the autism spectrum, according to the family.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "delighted" that Abdel Fattah was "back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones".

He paid tribute to his family and "to all those that have worked and campaigned for this moment", noting his case has been "a top priority".

The British leader also said he was grateful to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for granting the pardon.

Abdel Fattah has opposed every Egyptian administration since the early 2000s, when activists in the country started using social media to express dissent.

He was last arrested in 2019 after sharing a Facebook post about police violence and sentenced in 2021 to five years in prison for "spreading false news" - a charge frequently brought against dissidents in Egypt.

Two months before his release, a Cairo criminal court removed Abdel Fattah's name from the list of terror suspects, following investigations that found he no longer had any ties to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt has long faced criticism over its human rights record.

While several activists have been released in recent years, human rights groups estimate that tens of thousands of political prisoners remain in detention - claims which the authorities deny.