Morsi Pardons Mubarak’s Political Prisoners

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Monday pardoned all political prisoners arrested during the Egyptian Arab Spring demonstrations last year by the forces of deposed president Hosni Mubarak, Reuters reported.

A presidential spokesman told Reuters that the pardon will free citizens who are both currently facing trials and also those who are currently serving sentences, except those convicted for murder. The pardon applies to anyone who was arrested between Jan. 25, 2011, and the end of June 2012, when Morsi took office, the BBC said.

No specific number was given for the number of prisoners being released.

The Egyptian group No Military Trials for Civilians said that “to date, at least 12,000 civilians have been tried before military courts -- a large part of them revolutionaries arrested at demonstrations and sit-ins.”