President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi instructed the Interior Ministry this week to grant presidential pardons to 600 prisoners. The pardons, according to the Middle East News Agency, are of men and women convicted of criminal offences.

Lawyer Tarek Al-Awadi, a member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, said most of the names submitted for pardon are elderly prisoners with health conditions. He noted that “there are thousands of criminal prisoners in Egypt and on certain occasions the president decides to pardon groups of them following recommendations from the Interior Ministry, the Presidential Pardon Committee and the National Dialogue.”

Al-Awadi said this week’s pardon did not include any political prisoners in pretrial detention. “We hope in the future we will see political prisoners pardoned,” said Al-Awadi.

On previous occasions President Al-Sisi has pardoned political prisoners who have no history of terrorist activity or violent crime.

It is the second time this year President Al-Sisi has issued pardons. On Eid Al-Fitr in April, 3,438 prisoners were released.

Presidential pardons are typically issued on religious or national occasions. Since the launch of the National Dialogue and the reactivation of the Presidential Pardon Committee in April 2022, thousands of prisoners, including human rights defenders, have been released. The prosecution has also released hundreds of political activists in pretrial detention.

The Presidential Pardon Committee, formed in 2016, receives names of prisoners to be considered for pardon through several channels, including from the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), parliament’s Human Rights Committee, and via its own website.

Negad Al-Boraai, a prominent lawyer and human rights defender, noted this is the first time President Al-Sisi has issued a pardon that does not coincide with a religious or national holiday.

“The decision appears to be a response to the National Dialogue’s Board of Trustees who have said presidential pardon initiatives generally serve national objectives and improve the situation of human rights in Egypt,” said Al-Boraai.

 “We would now like to see batches of political prisoners pardoned and in the near future as long as they were not involved in violent crimes or have blood on their hands.”

Abdel-Gawad Ahmed, a member of the National Council for Human Rights, argues that the presidential pardon schedule is part of a policy to gradually implement Egypt’s National Strategy for Human Rights and reflects “the political will to enhance freedoms and create a favourable environment for the National Dialogue.”

MP Atef Maghawri, parliamentary spokesperson of the Tagammu Party, said Al-Sisi’s most recent pardon is a positive step towards translating Egypt’s human rights strategy into facts on the ground. He hopes “other pardons will be issued to include political prisoners and pretrial detainees.”

Human rights researcher Hani Mohamed said the latest pardons “give hope for thousands of prisoners that they can be pardoned, reintegrated into society and reunited with their families in a way that reinforces social cohesion”.

Many families suffer hardships because either the father or mother is serving a long sentence and “the decision to release prisoners gives these families hope.”

The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) also welcomed the pardons, saying they advanced Egypt’s human rights strategy.

“The move also implements recommendations of the National Dialogue submitted to the president for action,” said NCHR Spokesperson Ezzat Ibrahim.

“The pardons offer released prisoners the opportunity to return to normal and reintegrate into public life.”

On Saturday, the National Dialogue’s Board of Trustees held a meeting on pretrial detention at which participants finalised recommendations, including changes to the law regulating pretrial detention. In a subsequent statement, the trustees said presidential pardons releasing political activists reflected the new climate of political openness and tolerance and that a list of political detainees would soon be submitted to President Al-Sisi for consideration for release.

The National Dialogue’s administration has been collaborating with the House of Representatives to amend the Code of Criminal Procedures to reduce the length of pretrial detention. A working group has been formed to draft final recommendations on pretrial detention, including substituting alternatives such as house arrest, ahead of being submitted to President Al-Sisi. The recommendations also include amending the Criminal Procedures Law to reduce the maximum period of pretrial detention for misdemeanours from six to four months and for felonies from 18 to 12 months.

Egypt is currently preparing to submit its report for the fourth Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations Human Rights Council, scheduled in October.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with President Al-Sisi on 5 August to present the second executive report of the Human Rights Strategy which will be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council. Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmi said the report highlights initiatives, programmes and projects implemented across the four pillars of the strategy which aim to improve political, civil, economic, social, and cultural rights. He said that during the meeting, the foreign minister noted that this year had seen human rights units established in ministries and other national bodies, and committees set up to address complaints from people with disabilities and to combat violence against women.

Among recent changes to legislation enhancing human rights in Egypt are amendments to the laws on Egyptian nationality, and regulations establishing a Disabled People Fund and the National Alliance for Civil and Developmental Work and Rights of the Elderly.

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* A version of this article appears in print in the 15 August, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly