CAIRO – Egyptian authorities declared on Monday that prominent activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been granted a presidential pardon, as reported by his lawyer Khaled Ali and Egypt’s state television. Abd el-Fattah, imprisoned for six years, is a significant activist who played a key role in the 2011 Arab Spring in Egypt. He engaged in hunger strikes while incarcerated, and his case has come to symbolize Egypt’s retreat from democratic principles.

State media reported that the president also pardoned another five prisoners. It was not immediately clear when they will walk free.