The Ministry of Interior’s prisons sector announced on Tuesday that 3,022 prisoners have been released on Sunday as they were granted a presidential pardon on the occasion of the 69^th National Police Day.

The ministry stated that the prisoners were released in accordance with a presidential decree issued by the president allowing prisoners, who meet certain conditions, to leave prison before finishing the remainder of their sentence.

The event coincided with the celebrations of National Police day which also marked the 69th anniversary of the Battle of Ismailia, which is on 25 January.

Prior to the prisoners’ release, their papers were examined by a set of committees organised by the Egyptian prison authorities to determine which prisoners qualified for the presidential pardon.

2,904 prisoners qualified for release, whereas only 118 inmates, handpicked by the upper council for committees, met the requirements for conditional release.

The presidential pardon is part of an initiative led by the ministry to implement punitive penal policies that are more in line with contemporary criminal justice models.