Tarek El-Khouly, a member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, says that the committee will not look into the situation of detainees who were involved in terror attacks or national security threats.
El-Khouly, a member of the House of Representatives, said that the Muslim Brotherhood, which was involved in killing Egyptians and had blood on their hands, would not be part of the current political scene. He added that the Brotherhood does not believe in the idea of the Egyptian homeland or identity, and prioritizes its interests above all.
Daily News Egypt interviewed El-Khouly to learn more about the Presidential Pardon Committee, and the national dialogue called for by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
How do you see the return of the Presidential Pardon Committee, which was seen as a breakthrough in pretrial detention?
The Presidential Pardon Committee is one of the outcomes of the first National Youth Conference in 2016, and it worked for a while, but paused for some time, and was recently reactivated by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. It reflects the president’s political will to use his constitutional powers to pardon imprisoned youth and those who are in debt, while expanding the powers of the committee to include them and consider their cases as a prelude to integration into society, not just releasing them.
Do you think the communication mechanisms adopted by the committee are sufficient or not?
Until this moment, counting the number of detainees is still in the works. We have launched a number of mechanisms to receive pardon requests directly or indirectly through the human rights committees in the House of Representatives and Senate, the National Council for Human Rights, or the website of the National Youth Conference. We look into all requests and identify who meets the criteria set by the committee.
What are the committee’s criteria in releasing detainees?
We have two criteria, namely, not affiliation to a terrorist organization, and not committing a violent act against society. In addition, President Al-Sis directed to integrate the released detainees into society by reappointing them in their previous positions before detention, or resuming their study in universities.
Does the committee have a time limit for discussing pardon requests?
No, we do not have a time limit.
How will the National Dialogue be organized in terms of selecting participants?
The Pardon Committee was an essential condition for political forces to participate in the National Dialogue. Therefore, the Committee is considered one of the means of organizing the National Dialogue. The Committee will work hard to communicate with the various parties, organizations, associations, and political currents.
The National Dialogue is a very important step because it is linked to the idea of building the New Republic, and just as there has been rapid development on the economic and social level, you need to engage in a national political dialogue.
What are the factors that would contribute to the success of the National Dialogue?
I believe that the success of the National Dialogue depends on the willingness of all parties to engage in a real dialogue and to produce the best results that would contribute to boosting coexistence, especially since there is a local and international support to the reactivation of the Pardon Committee.
Will the National Dialogue include the Muslim Brotherhood?
Certainly, the traitorous Brotherhood, which was implicated in the killing of Egyptians and whose hands were stained with blood, cannot be part of the current political scene.
Here I would like to add that the relationship with the Brotherhood is not just a political dispute, but rather a public dispute. This group does not believe in the idea of the homeland or the Egyptian identity and puts its interests above the interests of Egypt.
The group has slogans that express their crudeness. In my opinion, it is a treacherous group, and this was shown in their statement, “We rule Egypt, otherwise we burn it.”
This group does not believe in the idea of homeland. They use Egypt to achieve their political interests, and therefore the Egyptian people rejected the group.
How will you deal with the legislation related to pretrial detention?
We will cooperate with the parliament, in regard with pretrial detention, because it is controversial. As I said, we rely on two basic criteria within the Committee; anyone who proves his affiliation to a terrorist organization will not be pardoned because they pose a threat to Egyptian national security. In addition, we will also not pardon anyone who caused or conducted violence.
The issue of pretrial detention and the cases in which pretrial detainees are held are the subjects of dialogue, research, interaction, and dealing to allow the release of imprisoned youth. This also aims to work on a solution to this matter in a way that leads to the best position to deal with the issue of pretrial detention and its consequences.
Is it expected that the Committee will come out with legislative recommendations?
A part of the national human rights strategy is introducing legislative amendments, and the Presidential Pardon Committee will do the same. We may come up with recommendations to be discussed during the National Dialogue that will take place with concerned authorities.
About Tarek El-Khouly
He is a member of the foreign relations committee at the Egyptian House of Representatives, the Egyptian Coordination Committee for Party Youth and Politicians (CPYP), and the Presidential Pardon Committee.
