151 pretrial detainees freed amid President Sisi's response to National Dialogue recommendations

CAIRO – 5 September 2024: In light of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s response to the National Dialogue recommendations on pretrial detention, the prosecution announced releasing 151 pretrial detainees on Thursday.

The parents of the students and the young ones among them pledged before the public prosecution to diligently follow up on them, and work towards guiding them back to the right path, the prosecution said in a statement.

Action on pretrial detention

The releases come two weeks after the president urged action on pretrial detention, underscoring the importance of reducing its maximum durations.

In August, the president emphasized the necessity to maintain its preventive nature as a measure necessitated by investigations, without it evolving into a punitive action.

Sisi also highlighted the need for activating the application of diverse alternative pretrial detention measures.

Furthermore, he stressed the significance of providing financial and moral compensation to rectify the harm caused to individuals who have been subjected to wrongful pretrial detention.

The president made the remarks shortly after he received recommendations from the dialogue's committee on human rights and public freedoms concerning pretrial detention and criminal justice from the National Dialogue’s Board of Trustees.

In recent years, the Egyptian prosecution has released hundreds of pretrial detainees, and many others have received presidential pardons since the launch of the dialogue and the reactivation of the Presidential Pardon Committee.

The dialogue was initiated by the president in April 2022 to engage various sectors of society, including politicians, parliament members, and political forces, in discussions on key national issues.

The board of the National Dialogue has consistently advocated for the release of pretrial detainees, including those who were recently arrested for engaging in activities that support the Palestinian people during the ongoing war in Gaza.

Amending pretrial detention

The Egyptian Parliament is currently working on new legislation aimed at reducing pretrial detention periods alongside other reforms within the country's Criminal Procedures Code.

As per Article 143 of the code, pretrial detention is limited to six months for misdemeanor cases, 18 months for felonies, and two years for felonies punishable by death or life imprisonment.

This week, MP Ihab El-Tamawy, head of the parliamentary subcommittee responsible for formulating the new code, revealed proposals to shorten these timeframes to four months for misdemeanors, 12 months for felonies, and 18 months for felonies punishable by death or life imprisonment.

Proposed amendments

However, the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate and its freedoms committee have advocated for a reconsideration of the rules around pretrial detention in the draft law, proposing a reduction of the detention period to 3 months for misdemeanors and 6 months for felonies.

In a statement late in August, they emphasized the importance of clauses preventing repeated detention on the same charges in multiple cases, ensuring that suspects cannot be held based on expired detention or accusation periods.

The committee stressed the urgency of eliminating the file of pretrial detainees in opposition to current regulations.