Egypt’s National Dialogue urges President Sisi to pardon researcher Patrick Zaki

CAIRO – 18 July 2023:  Egypt’s National Dialogue Board of Trustees urged President Abdel Fattah al Sisi on Tuesday to use his legal and constitutional powers to release human rights activist and researcher Patrick George Zaki, who was sentenced to three years in prison over accusations of ‘spreading false news’.

According to General Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan, the statement urged President Sisi to pardon Zaki from implementing the sentence ruled against him, on Tuesday, in order to allow him to finish his studies. ‘As he managed to obtained a master's degree just a few days ago’, The statement stated.

The Board of Trustees of the Dialogue concluded their statement saying that the “President's decision to pardon Zaki will add new confirmation to his continued keenness to provide more elements of a positive atmosphere for the success of the national dialogue.”

Egypt has lunched The National Dialogue, as per President Abdel Fattah al Sisi call in April 2020, which opened several 'closed doors' in regard to political discussions and freedoms.

Sisi said that Egypt is a 'home' for everyone regardless our political differences and that everyone should be having discussions regarding these differences to come out with results that will benefit all of the Egyptians.

Also, upon President Sisi decisions, more than 1,500 prisoners have been released until May 2023, according to the statistics of the Presidential Pardons Committee which was re-activated in April 2022.

 The Committee, which was originally formed in 2016 and then reactivated by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in April 2022, aims to release young prisoners of conscience and reintegrate them into society.

Committee Member Tarek El-Khouli previously explained to Egypt Today the criteria that the recently revived committee’s work is based on to prepare pardon lists.

“Our work while preparing the pardon lists and choosing names conform to two criteria; first, they must not be part of a terrorist group and second, they must not have engaged in violence and bloodshed crimes,” Khouli said.

He added that all those who do meet these criteria have the chance of being included in the pardon lists.

Khouli affirmed that the committee receives pardon requests via many avenues, including through the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) and the human rights committees of the House of Representatives and Senate.