Egypt’s interior ministry blocking release of pardoned prisoners: NGO

Source:
AlBawaba News
Date of source:
1 Oct 2015

The presidential pardon clearly stated that it included detainees of political cases who received irreversible court verdicts, sparing them the remaining jail periods. It also said that some prisoners were pardoned due to their health conditions, and shortly thereafter, it was reported that the Ministry of Interior was ordered to release them on the same day so that they could spend Eid Al-Adha at home.

Local NGO Al-Haqanya Law Centre reported that [Ms] Abdel Aziz remains in Al-Qanater Prison. Lawyer Sara Rabee of the centre was reportedly told by prison authorities that “there was no deportation vehicle to take her to the prosecution office, in charge of enforcing the pardon”.  For her part, Rabee responded by saying that such a task falls under the responsibility of the prison authority, but in vain. “As such, we established that the prison authority is obstructing the release of Abdel Aziz,” the centre stated in a Tuesday statement.

Other examples are given.

Mounir, among other lawyers, suggested that the Ministry of Interior had interfered with the presidential decision, and abused powers outside its authority, in violation of the law. “By law, presidential pardons are effective immediately, which the Ministry of Interior did not respect,” he said.

“I believe that the Interior Ministry was not welcoming of the pardon decision, so they did their best to delay the release of those they could find excuses for,” Mounir concluded.

Daily News Egypt contacted the Ministry of Interior’s media office, which declined to comment on the matter.

Cornelis Hulsman: This is speculative. Regretfully the Ministry of Interior’s media office declined to comment.

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