The Egyptian government approved, on Wednesday, a decision from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to pardon a number of prisoners.
The pardons come as part of the country’s celebrations for the Eid Al-Adha holidays and the 69th anniversary of the July 1952 Revolution.
The Ministry of Interior regularly grants pardons to prisoners during religious celebrations and national occasions.
This comes as part of the ministry’s keenness to uphold human rights values, it said, and the application of the penal code according to a modern approach. It also aims to provide various aspects of care for inmates, a Ministry of Interior statement said.
Egypt’s prison service sector has selected the files of prisoners from across the country, to examine and determine the most suitable profiles who deserve pardons.
A committee was formed by recommendation of President Al-Sisi following the National Youth Conference in October 2017, to pardon imprisoned youth, particularly students.
During the conference, veteran politician Osama Al-Ghazali Harb was appointed as the head of the committee.
Last year, a similar presidential pardon was given to 502 prisoners before the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, and in 2017, prominent businessperson Hisham Talaat Moustafa was released on medical reasons.
