Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conveyed her thanks to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for granting a pardon to human rights researcher Patrick George Zaki on Wednesday, considering it a highly significant gesture.
In a video message, Meloni announced that Zaki, a 33-year-old Egyptian researcher, would be returning to Italy on Thursday to continue his postgraduate studies at Bologna University.
“Since our first meeting in November, I have raised the question [with President El-Sisi] and I have always found that he is listening and helpful. I want to thank the intelligence, the diplomats, both Italian and Egyptian,” Meloni remarked.
Earlier on Wednesday, President El-Sisi issued a presidential pardon for Zaki and several other prisoners who had received final jail sentences, following requests from various political forces.
On Tuesday, Mansoura High Emergency State Security Court sentenced Zaki to three years in jail on charges of spreading false news inside and outside the country.
