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Egypt Refuses to Release Political Prisoner Alaa Abd El-Fattah, Extends 5-Year Sentence by 2 Years

HeadlineSep 30, 2024

Authorities in Egypt are refusing to release Alaa Abd El-Fattah, the country’s most prominent political prisoner. He was due to be released on Sunday after serving a five-year sentence, but his sentence has been extended by another two years. Last week, a coalition of 59 civil society organizations called for Egypt to release the British Egyptian activist. His mother, Laila Soueif, spoke to Reuters last week.

Laila Soueif: “I’m definitely angry, really angry, from the way things are happening, and of course angry about him continuing to be imprisoned. He wasn’t supposed to be in jail for five years, let alone the five years before in his first jail term. I’m angry about what happened now and what is happening. But I don’t have the feeling that I was expecting something to happen and it did not happen. I never expect good things.”

Click here to see our interviews with Alaa’s mother and sister in Egypt.

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