‘Presidential Pardon’ to meet foreign press

CAIRO – 27 January 2018: Parliamentarian Tarek al-Khouly, member of the Egyptian Presidential Pardon committee announced that an international conference would be held with foreign reporters to review the committee’s efforts.

Khouly said that he contacted the head of the State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan, to organize a meeting with reporters for Western newspapers and media channels, in the headquarters of the (SIS).

A full report of the committee’s achievements since it was formed in 2016, will be presented during the meeting, Khouly stated.

The date of the conference will be announced, following a meeting of the committee on Monday with a number of ministers and members of the parliament, Khouly added.

In October 2016, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi announced the forming of a presidential pardon committee, headed by political thinker Osama al-Ghazaly Harb, for pardoning detainees with charges pending further investigation.

In November 2016, Sisi declared the first presidential pardon list, pardoning 82 detainees including TV presenter and religious thinker Islam al-Behery on a charge of “contempt of Islam”.

A second pardon list was declared last March, pardoning 203 detainees. The list included five journalists, according to Masrawy.

In June, Sisi announced the pardoning of 502 detainees, including the 175 detainees who represented the third list of pardon.

Following Sisi’s permission at the World Youth Conference (WYF) in November 2017, the committee announced preparing the fourth pardon list. However, this list has not yet been released.

A number of 244 Egyptian prisoners regained their freedom earlier in January after receiving a pardon by a presidential decree on the 6th of October victory anniversary.