Prosecution releases businessman Omar El-Sheneity detained in Amal terrorist cell case

CAIRO – 7 August 2023: The Egyptian prosecution released on Monday 33 pretrial detainees, including renowned businessman Omar El-Sheneity, Tarek El-Awady, a member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, said in a Facebook post.

Sheneity was accused of joining a terrorist cell known as “Al-Amal” and was arrested along with other individuals in June 2019.

Al-Amal cell detainees faced charges of joining an outlawed terrorist group and funding this group to achieve its purposes. They were also accused of coordinating with fugitives and using social media to incite against the state.

Moreover, the detainees faced accusations of calling for obstructing the constitution, spreading false news and planning to harm the national economy.

Lawyer Youssef Mansour, who was detained in 2022 over accusations of spreading false news and joining a terrorist group in the case 330/2022, is among the 33 detainees released today, according to Awady.

Over the past year, the Egyptian prosecution has released hundreds of pretrial detainees, while many others have been granted presidential pardons since President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called for the National Dialogue and reactivated the Presidential Pardon Committee in April 2022.