Egypt: presidential pardons for researcher Patrick Zaki and a famous lawyer (official)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday pardoned researcher Patrick Zaki and Mohamed al-Baqer, the lawyer of Alaa Abdel Fattah, Egypt's most notorious political prisoner, state newspaper al-Ahram reported.

Mr Zaki was sentenced on Tuesday to three years in prison for denouncing discrimination against Christians, a verdict that prompted several human rights figures to quit the "national dialogue" launched by the government to give everyone a voice.

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