British-Egyptian activist reunited with family after release from prisonWatch: Alaa Abdel Fattah reunited with family following release from prisonHis other sister, Mona Seif, told the BBC from the UK his release was a "moment of collective hope". British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has been freed and reunited with his family after spending the past six years in jail in Egypt. Abdel Fattah was released from Wadi al-Natrun prison late on Monday and celebrated reuniting with his family at his mother's apartment in Giza. In 2015, a court sentenced Abdel Fattah to five years in prison for participating in an unauthorised protest. Although Abdel Fattah acquired British citizenship in 2021, Egypt never allowed him a consular visit by British diplomats.