Egypt's Prisons Authority ordered on Tuesday the release of 2,075 inmates on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha and the 59th anniversary of the 1952 revolution. The prisoners were released with a presidential pardon in accordance with presidential decree 298 for the year 2021. A list of those released was not immediately available. According to the Egyptian constitution, the president can issue pardons for prisoners who had received final court rulings that cannot be further appealed. Egyptian presidents traditionally issue pardons several times a year, usually on major national and religious holidays. Tuesday is the first day of the Islamic Eid Al-Adha holiday, one of the two main religious holidays in Islam, which falls on the 10th day of Dhu Al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar.
Eid Al-Adha marks the beginning of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. The anniversary of the 1952 revolution, which secured the country's independence from British occupation, falls on Friday, 23 July. Egypt announced that the national holidays of Eid Al-Adha and the 1952 Revolution's anniversary, will span eight days rather than six, starting on 17 July and ending on 24 July.
