Egyptian opposition activist and poet Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi. Photo: AFP
Abu Dhabi: Egyptian opposition activist and poet Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi has been pardoned by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, days after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined dirham 200,000 (USD 54,450) on cybercrime-related charges.
The Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Friday, September 4, that the necessary procedures had been taken to implement the presidential pardon. It was not immediately clear whether al-Qaradawi had been released.
Al-Qaradawi was convicted by the Cybercrime Division of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on August 27 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was also fined dirham 200,000 (USD 54,450).
He was arrested in Lebanon in December 2024 and extradited to the UAE in January 2025. He faced charges of engaging in activities aimed at stirring and undermining public security.
Al-Qaradawi is the son of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the Sunni Muslim world’s most influential religious scholars, who supported the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and drew criticism from governments in Egypt and some Gulf states.
His family warned before his extradition that sending him to a country seeking his custody could endanger his life. Rights groups and UN experts had also called for his release, saying his arrest was linked to his exercise of freedom of expression.
A presidential pardon in the UAE is an act of clemency that can cancel or reduce a sentence imposed following a conviction. It does not overturn the verdict or imply innocence.
This post was last modified on September 5, 2026 5:49 pm