Egypt Watch

Second round of presidential pardons in one week as 2,674 prisoners released

The Interior Ministry released 2,674 prisoners after a presidential pardon was issued on the occasion of Sinai Liberation Day. The presidential pardons are the second round within one week. Last week, Egypt’s Prison Authority released 1,686 prisoners on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Prison Authority did not give details about the prisoners’ conditions, names, or backgrounds included in the pardon. However, it is widely expected that most of them were not political prisoners. The authorities usually stress that prisoners involved in certain crimes are not eligible for a pardon including those charged with arms trafficking, terrorism, drug trafficking of more than ten kilograms, heroin trade regardless of the quantity, and revenge killings.

General Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi’s regime usually charges opponents with being members of terrorist groups, which means they are often excluded from presidential pardons.