Egypt on Thursday released two human rights defenders, including one who has ties with Italy, their lawyers said, concluding two cases that drew significant international criticism and attention.
The releases of Patrick George Zaki, an activist and postgraduate student in Italy, and Mohamed el-Baker, a human rights lawyer, came a day after they were pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi along with four other people. Confirmation of the pardons was published in Egypt’s Official Gazette.
The Egyptian government has relentlessly silenced dissidents and clamped down on independent organizations for years with arrests, detentions, prison sentences, and other restrictions. But it has pardoned dozens of detainees in recent months after its human rights record came under international scrutiny when it hosted the UN climate change summit in November.
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