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3 clusters · 10 sources · 6 days · First seen · Last updated

UAE presidential pardon of Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi

Overview

In September 2026, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a presidential pardon for Egyptian-Turkish poet and activist Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi. The pardon followed a ruling by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal’s Cybercrime Division on August 27, which had sentenced Al Qaradawi to 10 years in prison and a fine of approximately 200,000 dirhams ($54,452) for activities described as “stirring and undermining public security.”

Al Qaradawi, the son of the late cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, was arrested in Lebanon in late 2024 and extradited to the UAE in early 2025 after recording a video critical of the governments in Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. His detention and extradition had drawn criticism from human rights organizations and United Nations experts regarding legal guarantees and potential mistreatment.

Following his release, Al Qaradawi issued a video message expressing gratitude to the UAE leadership for responding to mediations and to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Turkey’s extensive efforts to secure his freedom. Al Qaradawi stated that his principles remain unchanged and noted that he did not experience any “physical or verbal abuse” during his detention. His family also released a statement thanking various governments, media outlets, and rights groups that campaigned for his release.

Entities

United Arab Emirates · Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan · Recep Tayyip Erdoğan · Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan · Yusuf al-Qaradawi

Timeline

  1. 2 days ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Abdel Rahman Al-Qaradawi thanks Turkey after UAE release

    Egyptian poet Abdel Rahman Al-Qaradawi thanked Turkey and President Erdoğan following his release from UAE detention via a presidential pardon.

  2. 5 days ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 3 sources
    UAE President pardons Egyptian-Turkish activist Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi

    UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has pardoned Egyptian-Turkish activist Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi following his 10-year prison sentence and controversial extradition from Lebanon.

  3. 8 days ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 6 sources
    UAE President pardons activist Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi

    UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed has pardoned Egyptian-Turkish activist and poet Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi, days after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison by an Abu Dhabi court.

Sources

africa.businessinsider.com · alaraby.co.uk · aljazeera.com · alkuwaitnews.net · arabic.cnn.com · newarab.com · norvanreports.com · okazalyoum.com · taiztime.com · uaetimes.ae

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history