UAE pardons Egyptian-Turkish poet facing 10 years in jail

Egyptian-Turkish poet Abdulrahman ​Youssef al-Qaradawi was ​pardoned by United ‌Arab Emirates President ​Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday, state news ‌agency WAM said, a week after receiving a 10-year jail sentence following his extradition from Lebanon. Qaradawi, the ‌son of late senior Muslim cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi, ‌was arrested in Lebanon in December 2024 after making critical comments about the UAE, Saudi Arabian and Egyptian authorities ⁠in ​a video ⁠posted online.

He was extradited in January 2025, facing charges ⁠of "engaging in activities that aim to stir and ​undermine public security", WAM said at the time. Rights groups ⁠and UN experts had called for Qaradawi's release, saying he ⁠had ​been arrested after exercising his right to free expression.

His father, who died in 2022, ⁠was a spiritual guide to the Muslim Brotherhood, championed the ⁠2011 ⁠Arab Spring uprisings, and drew the ire of rulers in Egypt and the ‌Gulf ‌with his Islamist preaching. (Editing by ​Timothy Heritage)