Egyptian President Pardons Italian-Bound Student and Prominent Lawyer
On Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pardoned two notable rights activists, including Patrick George Zaki, a postgraduate student in Italy, and Mohammed el-Baker, a rights lawyer. The state-run MENA news agency confirmed the pardons, which came a day after Zaki received a three-year sentence for an opinion piece he wrote in 2019.
Zaki’s case sparked international interest, particularly in Italy, due to the 2016 abduction and killing of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo. El-Baker was sentenced to four years in 2021 for disseminating false news, misuse of social media, and joining a terrorist group. The pardons are part of a group, though further names were not disclosed.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and members of the opposition have celebrated the news of Zaki’s pardon. However, Amnesty International pointed out that this does not resolve the broader issue of human rights in Egypt.
Egypt has pardoned several detainees over the past few months following international scrutiny over its human rights record. Rights groups estimate that thousands of political prisoners still remain in custody in the country, many without trial.
