Egypt’s Presidential Pardon Committee yesterday said it would begin the procedures of releasing 78 prisoners of conscience.

Parliamentarian, Tarek El-Khouly, told Anadolu Agency that the list included “60 prisoners held in several Egyptian detention centres.”

The agency quoted another member of the committee, Tarek El-Awady, as saying the pardoned prisoners included “23 from the Tora prison, 26 from Abu Za’abal prison, eight others from Al-Qanater detention centre, and three from Al-Minya jail.”

El-Awady added that 18 insurance employees who had been jailed will also be released “today”.