President pardons leaders of Muslim Brotherhood in exile

President Mohamed Morsi has issued presidential pardons for leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood living in exile overseas and who were sentenced to death or life in prison by the ousted regime. It is the second use of the presidential pardon by Dr Morsi, who also pardoned a number of prisoners a couple of days ago, including members of Al-Jama’a Al-Islamiya.

Speaking on behalf of the Brotherhood, lawyer Abdul-Mon’im Abdul-Maqsoud said that this pardon is a part of process which began with the freeing of 500 political prisoners recently.

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The Muslim Brotherhood presented the president with the names of some of its leaders living abroad with a request that they be pardoned, including Dr Ibrahim Moneer, the Secretary General of the International Organisation of the Muslim Brotherhood who lives in London, and businessman Yousof Nada, the head of political and international relations for the movement who was convicted in absentia.

Dr Morsi pardoned 14 Islamists from Jama’atul-Jihad and Al-Jama’a Al-Islamiya two days ago. Some of those released were convicted for the assassination of the President Anwar al-Sadat in 1981. One of those pardoned after being on Death Row is Sheikh Abdul-Hamid Othman, who was convicted of assassinating the former security director in Asyut province of Egypt.