712 prisoners pardoned by Sisi to spend Eid with families

Cairo – 6 June 2018: The prison sector released on Wednesday 712 prisoners, upon a presidential pardon, to spend Eid al-Fitr with their families.

This comes within the implementation of President Sisi’s decree No 133/2018.



In October 2016, President Sisi announced the formation 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, who was charged with “contempt of Islam”.

A second pardon list was declared in March 2017, pardoning 203 detainees. The list included five journalists, according to Masrawy news outlet. In June 2017, Sisi announced pardoning 502 detainees.

On the anniversary of October 6 War in 2017, 244 Egyptian prisoners regained their freedom after receiving a pardon by a presidential decree.

On Police Day and the anniversary of the January Revolution in 2018, a pardon list was issued to give 477 Egyptian prisoners their freedom.

It is worth mentioning that President Sisi has also released a decree in May 2017 to amend the Protest Law, obligating the minister of interior to submit a request to a court of the first instance to cancel, postpone, or change the place or route of a protest in case it threatens public security.

Article 155 of the Egyptian constitution gives the president the power to pardon or commute the sentence of prisoners following consultations with the Cabinet; on the condition that their offences do not include violence or attacks on public or security properties. The pardon, usually taking place during official and religious holidays, entails:

1. Ending any freedom-restricting penalties.
2. Canceling fine penalties, if applicable.
3. Pardoning the prisoner from police surveillance.
4. The legal effects of the sentence continue to be shown in the criminal record of the released prisoners.