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Sisi Pardons Activists, Journalists; April 6 Movement Leader Arrested

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Sisi Pardons Activists, Journalists; April 6 Movement Leader Arrested Egypt Daily Update: Sisi Pardons Activists, Journalists; April 6 Movement Leader Arrested Sisi Pardons Activists, Journalists April 6 Movement Leader Arrested Administrative Court Accepts Candidate Appeals Political Cartoon of the Day: The Tide of Change Top Stories Sisi Pardons Activists, Jazeera Journalists President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned 100 prisoners, among them two Al Jazeera journalists and several well-known activists, coinciding with the Eid al-Adha holiday. Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were sentenced last month to three years in prison for spreading false news and alleged support of the Muslim Brotherhood. Fahmy and Mohamed’s families reacted joyfully at the news. Fahmy’s wife expressed [Ar] “great relief” at his pardon and Mohamed’s wife said her “life changed” because of the news. Young activists and prisoners in poor health were also pardoned in the decree. Yara Sallam and Sanaa Seif, two human rights activists who were arrested along with 20 others for protesting near the Ettehadiya Presidential Palace in June 2014, are among those pardoned [Ar]. The decree pardoned 18 of the 21 prisoners charged with protesting against military trials outside of the Shura Council in November 2013, though it is unclear whether prominent activist Alaa Abd al-Fattah is among those pardoned. Activist Omar Hazek, who was charged with organizing an unauthorized protest in December 2013, was also pardoned while Mahinour al-Masry, who was charged in the same case and won the 2014 Ludovic Trarieux award for her human rights work, was not mentioned in the decree. Amnesty International Egypt stated [Ar] that they hope “that the decision stems from the authorities’ conviction of the innocence of those imprisoned.” back to top April 6 Movement Leader Arrested The leader of the April 6 Youth Movement, Amr Ali, was detained [Ar] on Tuesday as part of an “ongoing investigation” according to the head of the Ashmoun Investigative Bureau. The youth movement stated that Ali’s whereabouts are unknown and called his arrest a “crime of forced disappearance.” A warrant for Ali’s arrest was issued in June after a member of April 6 was arrested for planning a strike. A member of the group’s political office suggested that his detainment may be related to this warrant. The Cairo Court of Urgent Matters banned the April 6 Youth Movement in April 2014 for tarnishing Egypt’s image and for espionage. Several prominent members and leaders in the movement are currently in prison for protesting. The group was originally formed in 2008 to support a worker’s strike and actively took part in the 2011 revolution; the group has elected to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections. back to top Administrative Court Accepts Candidate Appeals The State Council’s Administrative Court accepted the appeal of the Egyptian Front and the Independence Current coalition for their rejection from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections on Tuesday. The coalition applied to run and was rejected in the Upper Egypt and Cairo electoral districts. The High Elections Commission (HEC) stated that the coalition was originally rejected for incomplete and late files and credentials. The Administrative Court also accepted the appeals of TV presenter Tawfiq Okasha and former National Democratic Party member Wahid Fouda. The HEC warned [Ar] candidates that they would be removed from the candidate list if they violated campaigning regulations. The commission stated that religious slogans and campaigning in mosques will not be permitted as a campaigning tool. Hate speech against other candidates will likewise not be allowed. Furthermore, candidates may not use public spaces such as schools or use public funds to campaign. The commission also set limits on how much candidates could spend on electoral propaganda. back to top Political Cartoon of the Day: The Tide of Change Wave: “Change” Sea: “Corruption” *This cartoon is from a state-owned newspaper. Source: M. Badr, Al-Ahram, 9/20/2015 back to top Also Worth Reading Land Dispute Escalates to Attacks on Copts in Alexandria Village Mada Masr A Look at the Trial of Al Jazeera Journalists Imprisoned in Egypt for Over a Year Associated Press U.S. News Facebook Twitter Website Subscribe -Marian Hale (Any questions, comments, or suggestions can be sent to [email protected].) Copyright © 2015 The Project on Middle East Democracy, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences .
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