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Egypt to release 502 prisoners after presidential pardon

By Ed Adamczyk
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, photographed at the White House on April 1, ordered the pardon of 502 prisoners Friday, to coincide with the Muslim holy days of Eid al-Fitr. Pool File Photo by Olivier Douliery/UPI
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, photographed at the White House on April 1, ordered the pardon of 502 prisoners Friday, to coincide with the Muslim holy days of Eid al-Fitr. Pool File Photo by Olivier Douliery/UPI | License Photo

June 23 (UPI) -- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a decree Friday to pardon 502 prisoners, the state information service said.

The pardoned prisoners include those convicted of protest-related crimes. Since a 2013 military coup brought El-Sisi to power, thousands of Egyptians have been arrested in a crackdown on civil liberties.

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A statement from the president's office said that of the 502 pardoned, 25 are women and 175 are under the age of 30. The pardon also includes detainees with medical problems who have served at least three-quarters of their sentences, the Cairo-based news website Ahram Online reported Friday.

The statement added that the president directed Egypt's Interior Ministry to release the pardoned prisoners by Sunday, the start of the three-day Muslim holy days of Eid al-Fitr, which end the fasting month of Ramadan.

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