Key points: Alaa Abdel Fattah, a 43-year-old British-Egyptian activist recently pardoned and released in Egypt, was stopped from boarding a flight to London by Egyptian passport control, his family says. His sister says officials offered little explanation and lawyers are investigating the legal basis. The UK government says it is pressing Egypt for his urgent return so he can be reunited with his 13-year-old son in Brighton. Abdel Fattah and his mother were recently awarded the 2025 Magnitsky Award for "Courage Under Fire."
Pardoned Activist Alaa Abdel Fattah Blocked from Flying to UK, Family and UK Officials Say
Key points: Alaa Abdel Fattah, a 43-year-old British-Egyptian activist recently pardoned and released in Egypt, was stopped from boarding a flight to London by Egyptian passport control, his family says. His sister says officials offered little explanation and lawyers are investigating the legal basis. The UK government says it is pressing Egypt for his urgent return so he can be reunited with his 13-year-old son in Brighton. Abdel Fattah and his mother were recently awarded the 2025 Magnitsky Award for "Courage Under Fire."
03:26 PM, 11/14/2025Politics
Pardoned activist prevented from boarding flight to UK, family says
British-Egyptian pro-democracy campaigner Alaa Abdel Fattah, 43, who was pardoned and released from Egyptian prison seven weeks ago, was prevented from boarding a flight to London at Cairo International Airport earlier this week, his family says.
Mr Abdel Fattah tried to travel on Tuesday with his sister, Sanaa Seif, but Egyptian passport control officials told him he could not board. The family says officials gave no clear explanation for refusing travel, and their lawyers in Egypt are seeking to clarify the legal grounds for the decision.
"They blocked him from boarding the flight and I had to go alone," Sanaa told the BBC's Today programme. "They didn't explain much. Our lawyers in Egypt are trying to understand the legal grounds."
The family says Mr Abdel Fattah holds a British passport and a recently renewed Egyptian passport. They had expected that the passport renewal would allow him to travel.
Family and UK response
His sister emphasised the family impact: Mr Abdel Fattah's 13-year-old son, Khaled, lives in Brighton with his mother and attends a special needs school because he is on the autism spectrum. Khaled spent a month visiting his father in Cairo after his release but has since returned to the UK.
"We're really glad to have [Alaa] back in our lives partially free, but he needs to have freedom of movement to live with his son, reunited with him properly," Ms Seif said. "Khaled needs his father… we can't keep creating instability."
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said President Sisi's decision to pardon and release Mr Abdel Fattah was "extremely welcome news" and that the UK continues to press at the highest levels for his urgent return so he can be reunited with his family. The FCDO described the case as a UK government priority.
Awards and background
On Thursday night, organisers announced that Mr Abdel Fattah and his mother, Leila, had been awarded the 2025 Magnitsky Award for "Courage Under Fire." Sanaa collected the prize on their behalf.
Mr Abdel Fattah first rose to prominence during Egypt's 2011 uprising. Human rights groups say that since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power, there has been an unprecedented crackdown on dissent with thousands detained.
Over the years he faced several prosecutions: in 2015 he was sentenced to five years for taking part in an unauthorised protest; in September 2019 he was re-arrested six months after a probationary release and held in pre-trial detention for more than two years; and in December 2021 he was convicted of "spreading false news" after sharing a post about a prisoner who died in custody and was given another five-year sentence. Human rights organisations criticised the trial as unfair.
Mr Abdel Fattah's mother, Leila, 68, staged a 287-day hunger strike in late 2024 to protest his imprisonment. She lost more than 40% of her body weight and was hospitalized twice in London during the protest.
At the time of writing there has been no immediate public response from Egyptian authorities explaining the travel refusal. The family and their lawyers say they are continuing to pursue legal clarity while urging diplomatic pressure to secure Mr Abdel Fattah's ability to reunite fully with his son in the UK.