Egyptian authorities blocked political activist and British citizen Alaa Abdel Fattah from boarding a flight to London on Tuesday, where he was scheduled to receive the 2025 Magnitsky Human Rights Award alongside his mother, academic and long-time dissident Laila Soueif, according to his sister Sanaa Seif.
Speaking at the award ceremony on Thursday, Sanaa said officials at Cairo International Airport barred her brother from leaving the country. “His lawyer is still trying to understand the legal grounds for the ban,” she said while accepting the award on behalf of Alaa and their mother, Laila.
Seif noted that Abdel Fattah had recently renewed his Egyptian passport, which the family saw as a signal that he would be allowed to travel. “That assumption proved tragically wrong,” she said.
“Alaa had planned to visit his 13-year-old son Khaled, who lives with his mother in Brighton and attends a special needs school due to autism,” Seif added. “We’re relieved he’s back in our lives, partially free. But he needs full freedom of movement to live with his son and rebuild their bond.”
The Magnitsky Awards, named after Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, are presented annually to individuals and organizations who make extraordinary contributions to exposing corruption and defending human rights worldwide. Categories include investigative journalism, legal advocacy, anti-corruption campaigns, and courage in the face of authoritarianism.
Abdel Fattah was granted a presidential pardon in September 2025 by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, after spending nearly four years in prison. He had been arrested in September 2019 and convicted in December 2021 on charges of “spreading false news,” “misusing social media,” and “belonging to a banned organization.” He was sentenced to five years.
