Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi speaks during celebrations of the 45th anniversary of the 1973 war with Israel, Saturday, October 6, 2018 (Photo: spokesman of the Egyptian presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah E-Sisi has pardoned 3,682 people, including hundreds of indebted men and women, the interior ministry said late Saturday.
The pardons come as part of the country's celebrations of the 45th anniversary of Egypt’s 6 October 1973 war with Israel, with Sunday a national holiday.
The pardoned prisoners include around 900 indebted men and women, after their debts had been paid off by the Tahya Misr "Long Live Egypt" Fund (founded by E-Sisi in 2014) and a number of civil society organisations, the ministry added in a statement.
El-Sisi has issued pardons several times a year, including on major national holidays and religious festivals, often releasing students and young protesters.
6 October marks the anniversary of an attack by Egyptian forces on Israeli fortifications in the Sinai Peninsula during the 1973 War, one which allowed Egyptian forces to push across the Suez Canal.
Short link: