Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A political prisoner freed from an Egyptian prison and brought home to the Britain is facing strong criticism for tweets he made about 10 years ago, for which he apologized.
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, 44, arrived in London on Friday after the British government negotiated his release. He said he apologized "unequivocally" for the tweets, which he alleges were taken out of context. Several politicians in the opposition parties have called for el-Fattah to lose his British citizenship.
Previous British governments led by Conservative and Labour parties have lobbied for his release for 10 years. He was imprisoned in Egypt for his political beliefs, including criticism for how the country treated dissidents.
El-Fattah was convicted in 2021 of "spreading fake news" in Egypt for sharing a Facebook post about torture in the country. Human rights groups called the trial unfair.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was delighted by el-Fattah's arrival. But then the news of the tweets emerged, bringing strong criticism.
