Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian opposition activist and poet, has been granted a pardon by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to state media reports.
Al-Qaradawi was initially arrested in Lebanon in December 2024 and subsequently extradited to the United Arab Emirates in January 2025. He faced accusations of participating in activities intended to destabilize public security.
The presidential pardon was issued shortly after the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal’s Cybercrime Division sentenced him to a decade in prison and imposed a fine of 200,000 dirhams (approximately $55,000) on August 27. The UAE’s state news agency, WAM, confirmed on Friday that necessary procedures are underway to implement the pardon, though it remains unclear if al-Qaradawi has already been released.
Al-Qaradawi is the son of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a prominent Sunni Muslim scholar known for supporting the 2011 Arab Spring, which angered leadership in Egypt and several Gulf states. In January 2025, his family cautioned that extraditing him to any nation seeking his prosecution would endanger his life.
International rights organizations and UN experts had previously urged for his release, arguing that his arrest was solely based on the exercise of his right to free speech.
This is a positive sign for free speech, but I worry about the conditions of his release.
Why did it take a decade sentence before anyone cared? The timing feels very political to me.