Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a presidential pardon to release opposition figures, most notably Ahmed Douma, who has been imprisoned since 2013 and was handed a 15-year prison sentence in 2019.

Douma was jailed for participating in anti-government protests and attacking government protests. El-Sisi utilized his constitutional powers to pardon the opposition figure and others who have received sentences on similar grounds, one month after pardoning two prominent activists, according to the state-run news agency, the Middle East News Agency (MENA). MENA did not release further details regarding the other pardoned detainees.

Tarek El-Awady, an Egyptian lawyer and a member of the presidential pardon committee, posted a selfie he took with Douma as well as the former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, the head of the Egyptian Democratic and Social Party Farid Zahran, and political activist Khaled Telima, captioned "Douma is Free."

Earlier on Saturday, the lawyer wrote on his account that "the president of the republic is utilizing his constitutional powers and issuing Presidential Decree 348 of 2023, pardoning some individuals who have received final verdicts, including Ahmed Saad Douma ."

The director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Hossam Bahgat, told AFP that Douma had experienced severe persecution from Egypt due to his activism, adding that he welcomes such news in Egypt.

The Egyptian Court of Cassation upheld in July 2020 a verdict sentencing Douma to 15 years in prison and a fine of six million Egyptian pounds, which equated to around $390,000 at the time.

Douma is a co-founder of the April 6 Youth Movement in Egypt, a prominent group that was highly active during the January 25, 2011, revolution that ousted then-President Hosni Mubarak from power. The group's activity was eventually banned via a judicial decision in 2014.

The activist participated in protests and demonstrations following the fall of Mubarak, which targeted the military council that took power during a transitional period and the rule of the late President Mohamed Morsi.

He was convicted of "participating in gatherings, possessing cold weapons and Molotov cocktails, attacking members of the armed forces and police, burning the Scientific Insititute (a historic building in Tahrir Square, Cairo), and assaulting government buildings."

Sisi pardons political prisoners

In this context, Hamdeen Sabahi, the leader of the Egyptian Popular Current and a co-leader of the National Salvation Front, expressed gratitude to El-Sisi after he issued the presidential decree pardoning some individuals convicted for alleged political crimes.

"I extend my deepest and warmest thanks to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the President of the Republic, for his generous and kind response, and for issuing the presidential decree pardoning my dear brother Ahmed Douma," the former Presidential candidate posted on Facebook.

He added that this decision "has brought profound joy to the hearts of all those who know the value of Ahmed Douma, his contributions, dedication, and enduring patience. It represents a significant milestone on the difficult path towards ending the issue of political prisoners."

Sabahi also noted that the decision "infused a strong sense of hope to continue striving regardless of the challenges, until the legitimate and noble goal is achieved – to make Egypt a country free of political prisoners."

International human rights organizations accuse Egypt of persecuting opposition figures and human rights activists, a phenomenon which became prominent after El-Sisi came to power in 2014 following the military's ousting of Morsi.

Since Sisi reconstituted the presidential pardon committee in April 2022, Egypt has released around a thousand prisoners. However, human rights organizations are calling for more political prisoners to be released. Omar Al-Shenety, a prominent Egyptian economist, was released after he spent four years in pretrial detention on charges of attempting to "topple the state."

Last month, Egyptian authorities also released young researcher Patrick Zaki and human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer, the defense lawyer for prominent political prisoner Alaa Abdel Fattah.

In May, the Egyptian government initiated a "national dialogue" to discuss contentious issues, less than a year before the upcoming presidential elections.