Egypt releases new batch of pretrial detainees including Al Jazeera producer

Ahram Online , Tuesday 18 Apr 2023

The Public Prosecution has ordered the release of a new batch of 41 pretrial detainees, announced Tarek El-Awady, a member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, on his Facebook page on Monday.

Hisham Gharib
Hisham Gharib

 

Those released on Monday list included Al-Jazeera producer Hisham Gharib.

The authorities can keep those facing investigation in pretrial detention for up to two years, per the penal code.

Since the spring of 2022, the Public Prosecution has ordered the release of hundreds of pretrial detainees in successive batches ahead of the national dialogue which is set to start in May.

The Presidential Pardon Committee, first established in 2016 and reactivated by the president in 2022, reviews the cases for political prisoners before recommending their release to the prosecution.

The committee receives requests for release from entities such as the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), parliament’s Human Rights Committee, and through its website.

Also in the past year, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has granted pardon to a number of high profile political activists who were serving jail sentences in various cases.

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