Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a decree on Friday pardoning 560 prisoners, including young people and prisoners with health problems.

Prominent journalist Abdel-Halim Qandil was among those pardoned based on their medical condition.

Qandil was sentenced to in October 2017 to three years in prison for insulting the judiciary and criticising court rulings.

His sentence was upheld in October 2018.

The Friday decree, which was published in the official gazette on Friday, grants him compassionate release based on his medical condition,

All those pardoned were convicted in cases between 2013 and 2017.

Under the Egyptian constitution, the president can issue pardon decrees for prisoners who have received final court rulings that cannot be further appealed.