Egypt called upon to release prisoners due to pandemic

Egypt has been called upon to release all prisoners, including political detainees, amid fears that the coronavirus outbreak could spread to prisons. The call was made by political activist Mohamed Saad Khairallah on Tuesday.

Khairallah proposed that prisoners should be released into their home districts where they can be monitored and supervised by local police officers. This will not only help in the effort to curb the coronavirus outbreak, he explained, but also save the state the funds that are spent on keeping them in prison.

The activist has also proposed the formation of an emergency committee led by renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Magdi Yacoub, with full authority to manage the crisis.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Health announced that the number of coronavirus cases in the country has risen to 196, with six deaths related to the disease.

Rights group: Coronavirus outbreak in Middle East prisons would be a ‘tragedy’

Coronavirus is affecting the whole world, will it unite us? – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]