British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the Egyptian-British activist and blogger Alaa Abd El-Fattah has returned to the United Kingdom after spending nearly 12 years as a political prisoner in Egypt.

Starmer on Friday called the return of Abd El-Fattah, who was pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in September after years of detention, a “profound relief”.

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“I want to pay tribute to Alaa’s family and to all those that have worked and campaigned for this moment,” Starmer said. “Alaa’s case has been a top priority for my government since we came to office. I’m grateful to President Sisi for his decision to grant the pardon.”

The Egyptian-British writer was the most well known of six prisoners pardoned by el-Sisi this year after a series of hunger strikes and calls from international groups and leaders for his freedom.

The former blogger had been previously jailed in 2011 during Egypt’s uprising against former leader Hosni Mubarak. He later emerged as an outspoken critic of el-Sisi, who seized power in a military coup in 2013.

Abd El-Fattah was given a 15-year prison sentence in 2014 on charges of spreading false news before being temporarily released in 2019 and given another five-year sentence the same year.

Egyptian authorities deny holding political prisoners and argue that the government only jails activists for breaking the law.

Like other freed detainees, Abd El-Fattah faced a travel ban after his release in September. But early on Friday, he wrote a cryptic post on X announcing his departure from Egypt: “Is it possible, kids, that we will say bye?”

The British government had previously expressed concern over Abd El-Fattah’s condition in prison and called for his release but faced criticism that it had not applied sufficient pressure on el-Sisi’s government, which has close ties with both the UK and the United States.

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“Praise be to God, Alaa reached London safely,” his mother, Laila Soueif, said in a social media post on Friday.