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Egyptian Presidential Pardon to Release New Batches of Prisoners

Prisoners are released as part of the presidential pardon. (Presidential Pardon committee)
Prisoners are released as part of the presidential pardon. (Presidential Pardon committee)
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Egyptian Presidential Pardon to Release New Batches of Prisoners

Prisoners are released as part of the presidential pardon. (Presidential Pardon committee)
Prisoners are released as part of the presidential pardon. (Presidential Pardon committee)

The Presidential Pardon committee in Egypt announced that 1,300 prisoners have been release since it was established in 2022, pledging to release new batches soon.

President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi had reactivated the committee in April 2022 when he called for "national dialogue" on various political, economic, and societal issues.

Lawyer and member of the Committee Tarek el-Awadi said about 1,300 prisoners had been released so far, expecting more to be released by the holy month of Ramadan, which begins later in March.

In televised remarks on Wednesday, he said the committee has set a number of criteria for a prisoner to be eligible for a pardon, including not to be convicted or violent crimes or murder.

The committee has stressed that it refuses the release of any prisoner who poses a threat.

Committee member and lawmaker Tariq al-Khouli, explained in previous statements that there were two criteria to release any detainee, noting that they should not be affiliated with any terrorist organization or involved in acts of violence.

The committee receives appeals from families of political activists, party members, and community entities for the release of some figures.

On Wednesday, the committee announced it was freeing 33 new pre-trial detainees.

Awadi revealed that the committee will continue its work until all prisoners are released.

The committee is keen on the social integration of the released detainees, which has been mandated by the president.

Al-Khouli underlined the importance of social integration that will help the released prisoners avoid “falling victim to social circumstances.”

He added that communication is maintained with the detainees to ensure that they can confront challenges that may be encountered by any individual.

The most common challenge they face is finding job opportunities or returning to their previous positions, he explained.

Al-Khouli indicated that the committee contacted ministries and various agencies to reinstate released detainees in they had previously held posts in the public sector. They also reached out to the civil society and private sector to provide them with job opportunities if that was the case.

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Senior US Republican Demands Biden Administration Shut Gaza Aid Pier

A US Army soldier gestures as trucks loaded with humanitarian aid arrive at the US-built floating pier Trident before reaching the beach on the coast of the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP)
A US Army soldier gestures as trucks loaded with humanitarian aid arrive at the US-built floating pier Trident before reaching the beach on the coast of the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP)
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Senior US Republican Demands Biden Administration Shut Gaza Aid Pier

A US Army soldier gestures as trucks loaded with humanitarian aid arrive at the US-built floating pier Trident before reaching the beach on the coast of the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP)
A US Army soldier gestures as trucks loaded with humanitarian aid arrive at the US-built floating pier Trident before reaching the beach on the coast of the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP)

The Republican lawmaker who leads the House Armed Services Committee has written to the Biden administration formally demanding it shut down its aid pier off the coast Gaza, calling the operation ineffective, risky and a waste of money.

The offshore floating pier, announced by Biden in March as a response to the threat of famine in the Gaza Strip, was constructed off the coast of the enclave by the US military as a way to bring in food and other aid supplies.

The US military has been authorized to operate it until the end of July, but a US Agency for International Development official said this week that the administration could seek to extend it for at least another month.

"I urge the Administration to immediately cease this failed operation before further catastrophe occurs and consider alternative means of land and air-based humanitarian aid delivery," House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers wrote in a letter seen by Reuters.

The letter, sent to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, has not been previously reported.

Rogers has long opposed the pier and has called in the past for it to be dismantled, but he had not previously expressed that view in a formal written letter to the administration.

His armed services committee is the Pentagon's top oversight body in the House of Representatives, and formal requests from its chairman traditionally require a response from Pentagon officials.

Aid first began arriving via the US-built pier on May 17 into Gaza, where nearly all the 2.3 million residents have been displaced by Israel's campaign against the Hamas movement.

But rough seas have damaged the pier, forcing repairs, and poor weather has limited the number of days the pier has been operational. Most of the supplies that have reached the shore have yet to be distributed by UN aid agencies which say their operations have been limited by insecurity.

"As of June 19, JLOTS had only been operational about 10 days and had only moved 3,415 metric tons onto the beach in Gaza," Rogers wrote, using the US military's acronym for the pier system, known as Joint Logistics Over the Shore.

According to US military data, as of Tuesday, 8,332 pallets had been delivered via the pier. But around 84% of them have been sitting on Gaza's coast in a marshalling area waiting to be picked up by the United Nations for distribution.

The World Food Program paused deliveries earlier this month over security concerns.

Reuters was given rare access to the US military-run pier off Gaza on Tuesday and saw aid pallets being moved from a vessel onto the 1,200-foot (370 m)-long pier as it bobbed around with the incoming waves. The pallets were then taken by trucks to the coast.

The operation is complex, involving about 1,000 US military personnel. The Pentagon estimates the first 90 days of operation will cost about $230 million.

Rogers also noted that three US servicemembers suffered non-combat injuries while deployed on the operation.

"I urge the Administration to immediately cease this failed operation before further catastrophe occurs and consider alternative means of land and air-based humanitarian aid delivery," Rogers wrote.