WORLD NEWS | Egypt announces release, mass amnesty of 30 imprisoned activists

CAIRO, Nov. 25 (AP) — Egypt announced the release of 30 political activists from prison, the latest in a series of mass releases amid heightened international scrutiny of the country’s human rights record.

There was no word yet on the identities of the activists, and it was not immediately possible to confirm how many of them had been released.

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Tariq Awadi, a member of Egypt’s presidential pardon committee, made the announcement late Thursday. He said the 30 people had been held in pre-trial detention to face charges related to their “opinions”.

El-Awady later released photos that he said showed several released detainees embracing family and friends.

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Since 2013, the government of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has cracked down on dissent and critics, jailing thousands, all but banning protests and monitoring social media . Human Rights Watch estimated in 2019 that as many as 60,000 political prisoners were being held in Egyptian prisons, many without trial.

The issue came into focus earlier this month during Egypt’s hosting of the two-week world climate summit. The meeting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh was overshadowed in part by a hunger strike by imprisoned Egyptian dissident Alla Abdel Fatah.

As the summit, dubbed COP27, kicked off, Abdul Fattah intensified his months-long partial hunger strike to stop any calories altogether and stop drinking water in a bid to draw attention to his case and The attention of others like him.

Then, as fears for his fate mounted, he ended the strike. He is still in prison.

In the months leading up to the summit, Egypt has sought to correct its international image, pardoning dozens of prisoners and developing a new “strategy” to improve the human rights situation.

Rights groups have been skeptical that the moves will translate into any lasting change, with Amnesty International describing the strategy as a “shiny cover” used to court the favor of foreign governments and financial institutions. (Associated Press)

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