Today, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued an official pardon for 502 prisoners in a number of cases including protest-related crimes, the Egyptian presidency announced.
According to the presidency’s statement, the prisoners include 25 women and 175 young men under the age of 30, as well as eight university professors, three lawyers and five engineers.
The pardon includes prisoners suffering from health problems who have already served three quarters of their jail sentences.
The presidency added that El-Sisi called on the Ministry of Interior to release the prisoners before the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which begins on Sunday in Egypt.
Article 155 of the Egyptian constitution stipulates that the president has the power to issue a pardon or mitigate a final sentence after consulting with the cabinet.
