CAIRO - 26 April 2020: On the occasion of Sinai Liberation Day on April 25, a total of 4,011 prisoners were on Saturday, announced the Ministry of Interior.
A total of 3,778 were pardoned as per a presidential decree, while 233 other inmates were released on parole.
According to the constitution, the president has the right to issue pardons for convicted prisoners after consulting with the Cabinet. However, the perpetrators of certain crimes are not eligible for a pardon. These crimes comprise arms trafficking, terrorism, drug trafficking of more than 10 kilograms, “heroin” trade regardless of the quantity, and revenge killing. The decree was published in the official gazette.
The Sinai Peninsula was liberated from Israeli occupation following the Egypt-Israel peace treaty signed in Washington in 1979. The treaty was signed by former President Anwar Al-Sadat and then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Israel had occupied Sinai during the Six-Day War in 1967.
Sadat went to war with Israel in October 1973. The October War was fought by a coalition of Arab states, led by Egypt and Syria, against Israel in Sinai and the Golan Heights.
Sun, Apr. 26, 2020
