NewzUAE president pardons Egyptian poet Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Fri, 09/04/2026 - 11:34 The Egyptian-Turkish national was 'forcibly disappeared' following his extradition to the United Arab Emirates and facing a 10-year prison sentence Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian poet and activist, celebrates the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (X) Off The president of the United Arab Emirates has pardoned Egyptian poet and high-profile activist Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who was facing a ten-year prison sentence in the country, Emirati media reported. According to the reports, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued the pardon on Friday after Qaradawi was convicted by the Cybercrime Circuit of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on 27 August, which handed him a 10-year custodial sentence and a fine of AED200,000 ($54,452). The dual Egyptian-Turkish national was first detained in Lebanon in January, and extradited to the UAE on charges of "fake news" and "disturbing public security" relating to a video he posted to social media while visiting Syria, in which he expressed critical views of the Egyptian, Emirati and Saudi authorities.
Both Egypt and the UAE issued extradition requests for Qaradawi, with Lebanese authorities acting on the Emirati warrant on 8 January. MEE reported that, for over 200 days following his extradition, Qaradawi remained "forcibly disappeared" with no charges or indictment, sparking widespread criticism and calls for his release by rights groups and UN experts. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Amnesty International warned that his extradition constituted a "flagrant violation of due process guarantees and other international human rights obligations, notably the principle of non-refoulement".
In March, a group of United Nations human rights experts raised the alarm over Qaradawi’s continued forced disappearance, and called on the UAE to disclose his whereabouts. They further expressed concern regarding the legal process of Qaradawi’s extradition, which was triggered by an arrest warrant issued by the little-known security body, the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council (AIMC), saying that the move was politically motivated and not based on legal criteria. The extradition process orchestrated by the AIMC, they said, “is being abused by some states to silence criticism,…
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has granted a presidential pardon to convict Abdul Rahman Youssef Al-Qaradawi, state news agency WAM reported on Friday. The executive clemency follows an August 27 ruling by the Cybercrime Circuit of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal, which sentenced the 53-year-old to 10 years in prison and imposed a fine of AED 200,000 ($54,450) upon conviction of charges brought against him. Authorities confirmed that all necessary legal procedures have been initiated to carry out the pardon.
Al-Qaradawi was extradited to the UAE in January 2025 after Lebanon’s caretaker Cabinet authorized his deportation. Lebanese authorities originally detained him on December 29, 2024, at the Masnaa border crossing upon his entry from Syria, following the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. At the time of his arrest, Lebanese Prosecutor General Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar stated that Al-Qaradawi—traveling on a Turkish passport—was detained pursuant to an Arab Interior Ministers Council notice issued via Interpol.
The red notice stemmed from an in absentia verdict issued by Egyptian judicial authorities on charges related to broadcasting false news and inciting violence and terrorism. The post UAE President pardons Abdul Rahman Youssef Al-Qaradawi following cybercrime conviction appeared first on Egypt Independent.
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