Daijiworld Media Network - Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, Sep 5: United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has pardoned Egyptian opposition activist and poet Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi, according to the UAE’s state media.
Al-Qaradawi was arrested in Lebanon in December 2024 and extradited to the UAE in January 2025. He was facing charges of engaging in activities allegedly aimed at stirring unrest and undermining public security.
The UAE state news agency WAM reported on Friday that the presidential pardon came days after al-Qaradawi was sentenced by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal’s Cybercrime Division on August 27 to 10 years in prison and fined 200,000 dirhams, equivalent to around $55,000.
It remains unclear whether al-Qaradawi has been released. WAM, however, reported that the necessary procedures had been taken to implement the presidential pardon.
Al-Qaradawi is the son of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the most influential Sunni Muslim scholars, who supported the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and faced opposition from authorities in Egypt and several Gulf states.
Before his extradition, al-Qaradawi’s family had warned that sending him to a country seeking his extradition could endanger his life.
Rights groups and UN experts had called for his release, arguing that he was detained for exercising his right to freedom of expression.
The pardon comes after months of international concern over his detention and legal proceedings in the UAE.