Some 30 political activists in Egypt were pardoned and released from prison, a week after the end of the COP27 United Nations climate change conference, which shined an additional light on the country’s human rights record. A member of Egypt’s presidential pardon committee, Tarik el-Awady, announced the releases on Thursday, thought he did not disclose the identities of those that were freed, The New Arab reported. The 30 people who were released were being held in pre-trial detention, reportedly facing charges related to their opinions.
Thirty-two political prisoners to have died in Egyptian detention in 2022 alone. At least 60,000 political prisoners are estimated to have been jailed since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took power following the overthrow in 2013 of Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president.