Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has reportedly ordered authorities to reexamine the case of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and six others on humanitarian grounds. Abd El-Fattah, who came to national prominence during the so-called Arab Spring protests of 2011, has been imprisoned for years on charges of “spreading false news,” but his family and supporters say he has been targeted for his pro-democracy activism. “The attempt to crush the spirit of Alaa Abd El-Fattah has failed,” says journalist Jeremy Scahill. “All people who believe in the struggle for liberation, not just in Egypt but that whole region, hold Alaa Abd El-Fattah close to their hearts and hope for the moment that they see him walk out of that prison cell.”