Morsi orders amnesty for convicted criminals during Egypt's uprising

CAIRO - The Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi has ordered pardon for all persons convicted in crimes during the Egyptian uprising, official news agency MENA reported.

The decree included felonies, misdemeanors committed to support the uprising to achieve its goals from Jan 20, 2011 until June 30, 2012 except crimes of first degree murder, the report added.

The act abides the general prosecutor and the military attorney general, each one in his field to publish a list for those given amnesty in the official newspaper.

The persons missed can submit a complaint in a month from the date of publication, and one or more committees will be formed to consider the complaints under the presidency of the head of court of cessation within thirty days of the date of the complaints.  

President Morsi ordered July 19 to release 572 people detained by the military in last year's protests, and reduced the sentence of 16 others from life sentence to seven years in jail.

Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi smiles during a meeting with South Korea's presidential envoy and former foreign minister Yu Myung-hwan (not in picture) at the presidential palace in Cairo, Oct 8, 2012, a day after Mursi's Al Nhada (Renaissance) project. [Photo/Agencies]