Hundreds of Detainees Released From Prisons
Nearly 700 alleged Islamic militants have been released from incarceration in the last two months, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said.
At least 200 were freed Saturday to mark the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr, which ends the holy month of Ramadan, said Montasser Zayat, a lawyer who specializes in cases of Islamic radicals.
An Interior Ministry official said most of the former detainees were linked to Gamaa al Islamiya, or the Islamic Group, which waged an insurrection against the government in the 1990s. The group declared a cease-fire in 1997, and many of its imprisoned leaders subsequently issued statements advocating nonviolent policies.
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