Egypt’s president issues decree to pardon prisoners on Eid Al-Adha, 70th 1952 Revolution anniv.

CAIRO – 7 July 2022: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has issued a decree to pardon a number of prisoners on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha and the 70th anniversary of the 1952 Revolution.

Eid Al-Adha falls this year from Saturday 9 July to Tuesday 12 July while the 1952 Revolution is celebrated every year on 23 July.

The revolution marks the toppling of King Farouk and the abolition of monarchy by a group of army officers known as the Free Officers Movement and led by late Mohamed Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser, who then became presidents.

A first batch of imprisoned debtors in Egypt, comprising 75 men and women, will leave prison on Thursday, Tarek El-Khouli, a member of the Presidential Pardon Committee member said.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Lawyer Khouli, a member of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Relations Committee, said that this comes in coordination with civil society organizations.

Late in June, Egyptian Presidential Pardon Committee member Tarek El-Awadi said a new list including a batch of prisoners of conscience will be released within days on the occasion of the 30 June Revolution.

He added that another batch of prisoners will be also released ahead of Eid Al-Adha, which falls on 9 July this year.

The Presidential Pardon Committee, formed in 2016 and reactivated by President Sisi in April, aims to release young prisoners of conscience and reintegrate them into society.

Over the past weeks, many prisoners have been released since the committee has been activated.