Alaa Abd El-Fatah

Few names on this list move me the way Alaa Abd El-Fattah does. A Cairo-born computer scientist, blogger and human rights defender, he spent twelve years imprisoned by the Egyptian state. The idea that a software developer could be jailed for so long says everything about the threat that free expression poses to power. He turned a technical mind toward amplifying voices that authorities wanted silenced, and the world rallied for his release. I have far more respect for someone who earned their renown through conviction and sacrifice than for any celebrity manufactured by fame. His story stays with me.

Name (English)

Alaa Abd El-Fatah

Name (Japanese)

アラー・アブド・エル＝ファタハ

Reading

あらー・あぶど・える＝ふぁたは

Born

November 18, 1981 (age 44)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Scorpio / Rooster

Origin

Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt

Occupation

computer scientist / human rights defender / author / journalist / activist

• Official sitehttps://manalaa.net/
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/freedomforalaa/
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaa%20Abd%20El-Fattah
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q149941

Tags

• Cairo Governorate
• computer scientist
• human rights defender
• author

Last updated

2026-06-18

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.