The long-awaited second presidential pardon list will be sent to the presidency for final considerations by Wednesday, the member of the Detained Youth Committee Tarek El-Khouly told Daily News Egypt on Tuesday.
El-Khouly, who is also a member of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, said he could not specify exactly when the list will be sent, saying it could be as early as Tuesday evening. At the time of print, however, no announcement had been made.
He also noted that the committee will not add any new names to the list. He said that the list includes prisoners of conscience, particularly students arrested for protesting. He said they form the largest group of prisoners on the list. A number of journalists recommended by the Press Syndicate are also on the list, although he would not disclose any names.
El-Khouly also refused to mention how many names are on the list, saying the committee’s function is consultative and that it is up to the president to decide who will or will not be pardoned.
There has also been no news yet regarding a potential third list of pardons, but the president has extended their work after it had originally been planned for only 15 days.
The committee has been working on the second list since November, prior to the first round of pardons. The first list was produced in two weeks, while the second has taken significantly more time to draft.
The Detained Youth Committee was established based on recommendations made during the National Youth Conference that took place in October. During the conference the veteran politician Osama Al-Ghazali Harb called on the president to release young detainees.
The committee received reports from the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), the Press Syndicate, several political parties, and other groups that were calling for presidential pardons. The committee is prioritising prisoners of conscience.
The committee and its members were criticised by several groups who believe the committee members are not legally or politically qualified to review these cases.
Muslim Brotherhood members are excluded from the committee lists. Other well-known detainees who are accused of belonging to the Brotherhood have also been excluded from the list.
