By Abdel-Rahman Hussein
CAIRO: Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy announced during an interview with Egyptian television Tuesday night that he would grant amnesty to all political and criminal detainees in North Sinai.
Residents of North Sinai have long complained of the treatment meted out to them by the security apparatus under the former regime, and this announcement directly addressed one of their longstanding demands, the release of their detainees.
In the wake of the announcement, 32 detainees were released although it has not yet been made an official order by Wagdy in his capacity as the Minister of Interior. Still, the announcement itself was met positively in North Sinai.
“People here are very happy about the announcement,” North Sinai activist Khalil Jabr Sawarkeh told Daily News Egypt. “We didn’t believe that this could happen, but it must be stressed that this announcement has not yet been made as an official decree.”
“It will be an excellent step if it happens,” he added, “After that, let the law rule in court, not arbitrary arrests and detention.”
There are an estimated 1,000 detainees from North Sinai, many of whom were taken in the wake of the bombings that rocked Sinai in the mid-2000s, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab and Taba.
Wagdy also said he would travel to North Sinai to meet with tribal leaders there and discuss their longstanding grievances. These include the constant security crackdowns, the inability to own land, and generally being regarded as a fifth column.
However, Sawarkeh pointed out that the announcement did not mention anything about those who had been tried in absentia, nor those who had been tried in military courts.
“We are not clear on the positions of those,” he said, “and due to the smuggling tunnels beneath the border [former president Hosni] Mubarak had instituted a law that [any smuggling-related activity] would fall under the jurisdiction of the military courts.”
Sawarkeh also added that there needs to be a root change in the dealings of the Ministry of Interior with the residents of North Sinai, similar to what is needed in the rest of the country.
