UAE President pardons Egyptian poet Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has pardoned Egyptian poet and activist Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who was facing a 10-year prison sentence. Qaradawi was convicted by the Cybercrime Circuit of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on August 27 and handed the sentence after he was extradited to the UAE. The dual Egyptian-Turkish national was first detained in Lebanon in January and extradited to the UAE over a video he posted on social media while visiting Syria, in which he expressed critical views of the Egyptian, Emirati, and Saudi authorities.

The UAE has been under scrutiny for its handling of Qaradawi's extradition and forced disappearance, with United Nations human rights experts raising concerns over the legal process and the potential for political motivations behind the move.

Brief written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.