Cairo (AFP) — 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.

A key figure in Egypt’s 2011 uprising, Abdel Fattah, 43, was released after years of advocacy efforts by family members, rights groups and the British government, with his mother, Leila Soueif, going on hunger strike.

At the family home in Cairo, celebrations went on early into Tuesday morning, with Abdel Fattah smiling and jumping for joy as he embraced his mother, sister and friends.

“I still can’t believe it and I can’t grasp that Alaa is with us, so I’ll need some time to absorb it,” said his sister Sanaa Seif, herself a former political prisoner.

“I told my friend that life has returned to us,” she added.

Abdel Fattah had been held at Wadi al-Natrun prison, roughly 80 kilometers 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.

“Alaa is free” and “Home” read the captions on photos posted on social media by his relatives early Tuesday.

Abdel Fattah had opposed every Egyptian administration since the early 2000s, when activists in the country started using social media to express dissent.

He was last arrested in 2019 after sharing a Facebook post about police violence and was sentenced in 2021 to five years in prison for “spreading false news” — a charge frequently brought against dissidents in Egypt.

According to the family, Abdel Fattah still faces a travel ban, despite the fact he is a British citizen, with his wife and 10-year-old son living in the UK.