Egypt released far more detainees than usual on the national holiday, signalling that authorities have bowed to pressure to reduce prison overcrowding in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
Egypt’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday that 4,011 prisoners had been released as part of a presidential amnesty to mark Sinai Liberation Day.
Official media reported that 3,778 prisoners had been pardoned and released while 233 had been conditionally released.
The President customarily grants pardons for prisoners on Sinai Liberation Day, however this year’s amnesty included far more detainees than usual.
Although the authorities made no mention of the coronavirus crisis, the scale of release indicates that they are responding to pressure to reduce overcrowding in the country’s detention facilities, which could lead to a catastrophic outbreak of the virus.
