Imprisoned activist Alaa Abdel Fattah is once again catching the attention of the international press, this time after President Abdel Fattah El Sisi directed authorities to look into his pardon among others, according to the National Council for Human Rights. Member of the presidential pardons committee Tarek El Awady told Reuters that a decision could come within days. The move marks the “first time the president orders authorities to look into this appeal after multiple local and international calls for his release,” El Awady told the AP.

Abdel Fattah has been imprisoned since late 2019 and a couple of years later he was found guilty of spreading fake news and was sentenced to five years in prison. His case has garnered much attention from the foreign press, with his mom and sisters launching campaigns to secure his release.

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