[EgyptDailyNews] Egypt freed on Tuesday 3,022 prisoners upon a presidential pardon, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement. Among the released prisoners, 118 were released conditionally, it said.
| The 118 were given a final beating prior to release... |
The decision was made to mark Egypt's 69th annual Police Day, which fell on Monday.
The Egyptian president, based on the country's constitution, can issue pardon decrees for prisoners who had received final unappealable court rulings. The Egyptian president usually issues a pardon decree on public holidays, including two religious Muslim festivals, the holy month of Ramadan, and the July 23 Revolution Day.
| Wonder if Amnesty Int'l knows that the political prisoners now have slightly more room in their cells? |
| Al Ahram mentions in passing that this date also corresponds to the Battle of Ismaili, one of the final of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Egyptian forces managed to hold the Israeli advance at the city of Ismaili on the western bank of the Suez Canal just long enough for the UN ceasefire to be imposed on Israel. Egyptians count this as a great victory. |
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