Al Jazeera Journalists Among 100 Political Prisoners Pardoned in Egypt

Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were among the 100 political prisoners and youth activists granted pardon on Wednesday by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The group was among those targeted by the Egyptian government, which came to power in 2013 and soon thereafter enacted a sweeping anti-protest law. Recently passed “anti-terror” legislation allowed al-Sisi to further crackdown on journalists, protesters, and other critics of the repressive regime.

“The pardon, which also includes sick and elderly prisoners, is coinciding with the Muslim feast Eid Al-Adha. It also comes ahead of El-Sisi’s visit to New York on Thursday, where he is scheduled to attend the United Nations’ 70th General Assembly,” Ahram Online reports.

In a statement on its Facebook page, Amnesty International welcomed the news, adding that they are “hoping that the decision stems from the authorities’ conviction of the innocence of those imprisoned and is not related to the Egyptian president’s upcoming visit to [the United States].”

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