A new patch of the pardoned prisoners per decree no. 2957 issued by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi، was released on Saturday on the National Police Day; the total number of freed prisoners rose to 3455.
The president pardoned thousands in the past few years. Of this wave of freed prisoners، 2957 were pardoned and 498 were allowed conditional release (remain under observation for a designated period of time).
Regarding presidential pardons، they are customary to national and religious occasions. According to article 155 of the constitution، the president is allowed to issue pardons only after a final ruling is issued.
Today commemorates the story of Egypt’s struggle against the British occupation.
Suez Canal Zone was under the British forces` control according to the 1936 Treaty. Under the treaty, the British forces centered in the Suez Canal zone and were not allowed to be at any other Egyptian zone
The Egyptian citizens carried out attacks against British forces in the Suez Canal Zone. As a result of such attacks, Britain suffered heavy human and material losses almost every day.
Meantime, the Egyptian youth were fighting the occupation without coordination. Fouad Pasha Serageldin, the Minister of Interior at that time, unified those people who were fighting against the occupation.
Brigadier Kenneth Exham, commander of the British forces in Ismailia at that time asked the Egyptian police to leave the governorate building, but they refused.
The Interior Minister called the police officers at the building on the telephone and asked them to remain steadfast and not to leave the governorate building.
Exham asked the Egyptian police in Ismailia to hand over their weapons and evacuate the Ismailia Police Station or he will attack them.
Serageldin ordered them not to hand over their weapons and resist until their last breath.
The massacre began, and the occupation forces bombed the governorate building with no mercy. The British commander asked the Egyptian forces for the second time to hand over their weapons or he will fire them
In response to his warning, the young Egyptian officer, Captain Mustafa Refaat, shouted at him, refusing the British Commander`s demands.
The Egyptian police heroes remained steadfast, resisting with their very old rifles against the most powerful cannons until their weapons ran out of ammunition
By the end, Exham praised them saying: “The Egyptian policemen fought honorably and surrendered with honor, so it is our duty to respect them all, officers and soldiers.”
The British forces saluted the Egyptian police officers as they left the governorate building.
50 Egyptian policemen sacrificed their lives for the sake of their homeland, while more than 80 policemen were wounded.
Since this day, it has been taken as the National Police Day in Egypt.
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