“We will not be the cause of any decision to pardon anyone who belongs to a terrorist organization or poses any threat to Egypt’s national security.”
With these words, Tariq El-Khouly, a member of the President’s Committee on Pardons and the House of Representatives for the Coordination of Youth Parties and Politicians, sought to reassure the Egyptians of the need to exclude terrorist elements or those associated with terrorist organizations such as the Brotherhood from the amnesty initiative.
Recently, the rate of release of prisoners in cases of “opinions and expressions” on “presidential pardon” has increased, which Al-Houli described in an exclusive interview with Al-Ain News as a “big push”. “for a nationwide dialogue that includes all but the Brotherhood faction. .
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Last April, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for the activation of a presidential committee to pardon political prisoners and forge a comprehensive national dialogue that would include “everyone” except the terrorist Brotherhood.
Three months after the call, which was officially announced last July, the activities of the procedural and organizational sessions of the National Dialogue, and since this announcement, the Brotherhood is still striving to return to the political scene in Egypt, trying to plead for participation but to no avail.
Previously, President El Sisi confirmed during a meeting with a number of Egyptian media professionals during the opening of the project that the national dialogue is for all but one faction regarding the Brotherhood terrorist organization.
The President of Egypt said that “the goal of launching a national dialogue is to bring together all without exception thinkers, intellectuals, alliances and political forces, except for one faction.”
Tariq al-Houli said that due to the increase in the number of people released over the past two weeks, the Amnesty Committee is working decisively and clearly on two main criteria: non-membership of a terrorist organization and the person not belonging to the perpetrators of violence or murder.
El-Houli emphasized that the presidential pardon committee “will not cause the exodus of anyone who belongs to a terrorist organization, or who has committed acts of violence, or who poses any threat to Egypt’s national security.”
On the impact of the President’s pardon decisions on the “national dialogue”, whose formal meetings are expected to begin shortly after completion of its preparation procedures, Al-Houli stressed that the amnesty decisions, which are being made at a fast pace, represent a large and influential momentum in the national dialogue.
The member of the Egyptian House of Representatives added that “this issue has a great positive impact on the sides of the national dialogue, and also establishes the principles of tolerance and the state of public peace.”
time limit
When asked about the terms of the work of the presidential pardon commission, he answered: The work of the commission ends upon completion of consideration of the last case transferred to it, or with the release of all cases subject to a presidential pardon, in addition to the social integration of all cases released by a presidential pardon.
Al-Houli warned that in the coming period, the work of the committee will continue to integrate the released in accordance with the directives of the President of the Republic, which are being implemented in coordination with state bodies and institutions.
In a recent statement, the Amnesty Committee confirmed its coordination with the relevant state authorities and, in accordance with the directives of the President of the Republic, its readiness to receive all requests from those released to meet any needs or requirements that could bring them back. to their normal life, first of all, the resolution of any work issues or the removal of the consequences that arose as a result of their period in detention.
The committee said that this step is taking place as part of the activation of the role of the committee and its constant coordination with all relevant state bodies, political and partisan forces, and the committee is already studying the lists of those released.
In a previous interview with Al-Ain News, Al-Houli confirmed that members of the Brotherhood are being expelled for violating the emancipation criteria, which is not belonging to a terrorist organization, an organization that has committed acts of violence and does not believe in the idea of building a nation from scratch and put forward the slogan either to rule the country, or burn it, adding: they are a single entity with different roles, whether in funding, support, planning or promotion, every person in him believes in using violence to achieve goals.
A number of young members of the terrorist organization have been put on trial because of the threat they pose to Egypt’s national security and their violent acts, making their chances of a presidential pardon “impossible”.
Egypt classifies the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, bans its activities and lists its members and leaders as terrorists.