Cairo, Egypt

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has pardoned a number of prisoners, including prominent activist and leading figure of the country’s 2011 uprising, Ahmed Douma, on Saturday (August 19), reported the state TV and confirmed his lawyers. Douma, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison four years ago for rioting and attacking security forces, has received a presidential pardon, said his lawyers. 

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Presidential pardons and Douma’s release

A member of the presidential pardons committee, lawyer Tarek Elawady, said that the president has “used his constitutional powers” to pardon several prisoners, including Douma, as per AFP. This also comes months ahead of the upcoming presidential election scheduled for 2024.

Douma, now 37, like several other prominent activists in Egypt was jailed following a crackdown, in 2013. This was after the military ouster of toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak’s successor, Islamist Mohamed Morsi. 

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Speaking about the activist’s release, prominent rights lawyer Khaled Ali took to social media and said he was waiting outside Badr prison on the outskirts of the capital Cairo for Douma. 

Work of the ‘devil’: Douma’s case and sentencing

While delivering the activist’s verdict the judge said Douma was part of a crowd that broke into parliament and damaged part of it and described the act as them doing the work of the “devil”. Douma was sentenced by court in 2019, on charges of clashing with security forces in the capital. 

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The 15-year sentence, in 2019, was lessened after the previous 25-year sentence was handed down, in 2015. Egypt’s top appeals court later in 2019, upheld the 15-year sentence, which also included a fine of six million Egyptian pounds ($372,000 at the time).

The 37-year-old was among the key activists from the revolution who continued to remain behind bars, including British-Egyptian pro-democracy blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has been jailed for nearly a decade now. 

The incumbent president and former army chief who spearheaded Morsi’s ouster has been accused of leading a relentless crackdown on both pro-democracy campaigners and Islamists during his time in office.

While the incumbent president has pardoned numerous prominent figures over the past year, critics argue that recently arrested people have taken their place. 

A report by AFP citing Egyptian rights monitors said since April 2022, officials have released 1,000 political prisoners but also detained nearly 3,000.

Last month, Egyptian rights researcher Patrick Zaki and lawyer Mohamed el-Baqer were also pardoned by al-Sisi. 

(With inputs from agencies) 

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