UAE pardons Egyptian dissident Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi after 10-year prison sentence

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has pardoned Egyptian dissident and poet Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi. The pardon comes days after an Abu Dhabi court sentenced al-Qaradawi to 10 years in prison and fined him 200,000 dirhams for cybercrime charges. Extradited from Lebanon in January 2025, al-Qaradawi's detention sparked international outcry, with UN experts and rights groups alleging he was forcibly disappeared and targeted for exercising free speech.

Presidential pardon issued

• ▪United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a presidential pardon for Egyptian poet and political activist Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi on September 4, 2026.
• ▪The United Arab Emirates state media agency WAM reported on September 4, 2026, that the necessary legal procedures had been initiated to implement the presidential pardon of Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

Lebanon extradition proceedings

• ▪Lebanese authorities arrested Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi in December 2024 and extradited him to the United Arab Emirates on January 10, 2025, following a provisional arrest warrant.
• ▪The extradition of Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi was requested by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Justice and executed by Lebanese authorities under the principle of reciprocity.

Cybercrime conviction sentencing

• ▪The Cybercrime Circuit of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal convicted Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi on August 27, 2026, sentencing him to 10 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 dirhams.
• ▪The United Arab Emirates prosecuted Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi on charges of engaging in activities that aim to stir and undermine public security.

Forced disappearance allegations

• ▪A group of United Nations human rights experts called on the United Arab Emirates in March 2025 to reveal the fate and physical location of Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
• ▪Human rights groups and United Nations experts stated that Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi was forcibly disappeared for over 200 days in the United Arab Emirates following his January 2025 extradition.

Transnational repression concerns

• ▪Human rights advocates and legal experts warned that the prosecution of Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi by the United Arab Emirates for social media posts could set a dangerous precedent for transnational repression.
• ▪Amnesty International warned that the extradition of Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi to the United Arab Emirates violated international human rights obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement.

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