Prominent Egyptian-British human rights defender Alaa Abdel Fattah was released from prison after years behind bars and reunited with his family in an emotional celebration following a long-awaited pardon by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Abdel Fattah had been held at Wadi al-Natrun prison, roughly 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Cairo. Following the announcement of Sisi's pardon on Monday, Abdel Fattah's family had rushed there to await his release, only to discover he had already returned home. Abdel Fattah was granted British citizenship in 2022 while he was behind bars through his mother, who holds dual nationality. Since 2022, Sisi's administration has released hundreds of detainees and pardoned several high-profile dissidents, including Abdel Fattah's lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer.