CAIRO [MENL] -- Egypt has refused to commute the sentences of thousands of
Islamic militants languishing in prison.
Islamic sources said this is the first time since 1997 that Egypt's
Interior Ministry has refused to pardon or commute the sentences of Islamic
insurgents during the holiday of Id El Fitr. The holiday is reserved for
prisoner releases in the Arab world.
In 1997, Egypt's largest insurgency group, the Gamiat Islamiya, declared
a unilateral ceasefire in its war with the regime of President Hosni
Mubarak. The ceasefire eventually led to the release of hundreds of
prisoners.
Egypt is believed to be holding 5,000 Islamic militants. There are an
estimated 30,000 Egyptians who belong to outlawed Islamic groups, such as
Gamiat and Jihad.
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