Egypt has released two prisoners who were jailed for involvement in the 1981 assassination of a former Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, al-Jazeera television reported on Thursday.
“The Egyptian authorities have released Abboud el-Zomor and Tarek el-Zomor who were accused in the case of Sadat’s assasination,” al-Jazeera said.
Former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, in power from 1970, was shot during a military parade by Khaled el-Islambuli, a member of an Islamist group, after Sadat became the first Arab leader to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.
Tarek and Abboud el-Zommor had been imprisoned for participating in the assassination plot.
The assassination led to the imposition of an emergency law by Sadat’s successor, Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted from power last month. The law allowed for detention without charge and was used to impose Mubarak’s 30-year-rule. Keen to defuse tensions over the question of arrests, Egypt’s new military rulers, who took over since a wave of protests swept Mubarak from power on February 11, said they would lift the emergency law and have started to release political prisoners.
Abboud had been sentenced to 20 years for the assassination plot and attempting to overthrow the regime, and another 15 years for using force to resist police during his arrest.
Tarek was also sentenced to 20 years for the plot and seven years for resisting his arrest, a lawyer told Reuters.