Jailed Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed have been released from prison following a presidential pardon in Egypt.

Dozens of activists have also been released as part of a pardon marking the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim holiday that starts on Thursday, Alaa Youssef, a spokesperson for the Egyptian presidency, has told the al-Ahram newspaper.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi  on his Facebook page  announced on Wednesday that he would release “100 young people trapped in issues related to the breach of the law on demonstrations and some humanitarian and health cases”.

It is still not clear if another seven Al Jazeera journalists, including Australian Peter Greste, who were sentenced in absentia, were included in the pardoned group. They had been given prison sentences ranging from three to 10 years.

The Al Jazeera network has welcomed their release but continues to demand all charges and sentences against its journalists are dropped.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/