Egypt excludes Muslim Brotherhood prisoners from pardon list

The second list of pardoned prisoners in Egypt will not include members of the Muslim Brotherhood detained on “charges of committing acts of violence”, a member of an Egyptian committee tasked with reviewing potential prisoners for pardon has said.

Osama Al-Ghazali Harb said the Muslim Brotherhood is waging “a fierce war against President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi outside of Egypt, and the commission will contribute to providing a true picture of the state abroad.”

In a statement Harb said members of the Muslim Brotherhood who are accused of committing violence are outside the scope of the commission’s work.

“Activists and journalists are at the forefront of cases that will be covered by the new amnesty list,” he said pointing out that “the commission will also review the cases of the elderly and the sick.”

Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood in December 2013 branding it a “terrorist group”.