The chairman of the presidential committee formed to examine the cases of young Egyptian detainees, Osama al-Ghazaly Harb, said Tuesday that the committee will release within 4 days a new list that includes the names of 300-400 detainees to be pardoned by presidential decree.
During a meeting for the Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives (parliament), Harb added that the list includes names of youth detained pending investigations and others having received final verdicts.
Harb added that arrested members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group don't fall under his committee's functions, however it can examine cases of those accused of being affiliated with the Brotherhood.
He said that prisoners of conscience and journalists are at the lead of the list to be pardoned.
The Detained Youth Committee will also continue studying the cases that are pending trial, in preparation for a presidential pardon.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi earlier issued a decision to form the committee, during the first-ever Sharm el-Sheikh National Youth Conference that was held in October.
Sisi issued a presidential pardon on the 17th of last month to exonerate 82 prisoners, including TV show host Islam al-Beheiry who was serving a sentence of one year in prison, handed to him in December 2015 on charges of "contempt of religion".
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
