685 prisoners released on occasion of Eid al-Ftir

CAIRO – 13 June 2019: The second group of prisoners and detained debtors, who were granted a presidential pardon on the occasion of Eid al-Ftir (the feast of breaking the fast), were released on Thursday, said the Ministry of Interior in a statement.

A total of 685 prisoners were granted their freedom, including 149 inmates released as per the presidential pardon, while the other 536 were released on parole, the statement added.

On June 5, 2019, Egypt’s Prisons Department announced releasing 2,002 prisoners on the first day of Eid al-Fitr as per a presidential decree.

During a celebration on the occasion of releasing the prisoners, Head of the Prison Sector Zakaria al-Ghamrai said that 139 men and 13 women were released after paying their debts from Tayhya Masr (Long Live Egypt) Fund.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s decision to grant some inmates their freedom was issued on June 3.

In May, Egypt’s Prison Sector released 266 prisoners on parole, while 85 others were released as per a presidential pardon.

According to the constitution, the president has the right to issue pardons for convicted prisoners after consulting with the Cabinet.