Women inmates granted extra visit for campaign to end gender-based violence

CAIRO – 8 November 2019: Minister of Interior Mahmoud Tawfik announced granting all women detainees nationwide an exceptional visit from Saturday November 16th to 21st, on the occasion of the international campaign of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

The visit will not be counted within the scheduled visits to the female inmates. The interior ministry's step comes to allow the women prisoners celebrate such occasion with their relatives, a statement by the ministry said.

This comes within the framework of the Ministry of Interior's keenness to uphold the values of human rights, apply the punitive policy in its modern approach, and provide various aspects of care for inmates, according to the statement.

A number of 333 prisoners were released from prisons per presidential pardon, local media reported on Thursday, as part of inmates released on the anniversary of the 1973 October war on October 6th.

According to the constitution, the president has the right to issue pardons for convicted prisoners after consulting with the Cabinet. However, the perpetrators of certain crimes are not eligible for pardon. These crimes comprise arms trafficking, terrorism, drug trafficking of more than 10 kilograms, “heroin” trade regardless of the quantity, and revenge killing.

In October 2016, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced the formation of a presidential pardon committee to examine the cases and designate eligible ones.