Press release

The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) welcomes the decision of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to release a number of activists against whom court rulings have been issued, including academic researcher Patrick Zaki and human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer, according to the powers granted to the President of the Republic in accordance with the Constitution. NCHR appreciates this step, which confirms the determination of the political leadership to move forward with the advancement of the human rights situation in the country and overcome the many challenges stipulated NCHR, including the issue of pretrial detention and the importance of preparing Egyptian society for more political openness and deepening freedom of opinion and expression and a culture of. Human rights.

The course of the successive releases of activists, whether those serving sentences or those in pre-trial detention, confirms that there is a real will to open a new page with all political forces that translate into real dialogue and open the way for a boom in human rights work based on respect for freedom of opinion and all civil and political rights of all citizens.

NCHR had followed through the complaints system the case of Patrick Zaki and Al-Baqer. NCHR had also sent requests to the Presidential Pardon Committee to pardon them and other detainees. In that context, NCHR commended the cooperation with the Committee and the positive results of that cooperation, which is a clear indication of the success of the national mechanisms in ending the conditions of detainees.