Human rights lawyer, politician, and former parliamentarian Zeyad El-Elaimy was released from prison on Monday, 24 October after three years’ imprisonment, as part of the ongoing Presidential Pardon Committee. El-Elaimy, who served as a member of parliament representing the Egyptian Social Democratic Party in the 2012 parliament, was arrested in June 2019, in a case known in the media as the ‘Hope Cell’ to “disrupt the national economy.” He was sentenced to five years in prison in November 2021 for spreading false news on social media among other charges. Over the time of his imprisonment, activists from around the world called on the Egyptian authorities to release El-Elaimy and drop all the charges against him. According to a statement by Tarek El-Khouly, member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, “Al-Sisi issues decree 510 of 2022 for pardoning El-Elaimy in response to appeals and calls by political parties and forces, including the he Coordination Committee of Parties’ Youth and Politicians (CPYP), and the Presidential Pardon Committee. Earlier this year, the committee pardoned political activist and Karama Party member Hossam Mo’nes and journalist Hisham Fouad, who were convicted in the same case. This…
Egyptian Human Rights Lawyer Zeyad El-Elaimy Pardoned After 3 Years in Prison
October 25, 2022