Mohamed al-Zawahiri, the brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, has described the release of himself and his colleagues from prison as “one of the most important fruits of the blessed revolution.”
A military court on Monday acquitted Zawahiri and Mohamed Showky al-Islambouli, the brother of Sadat’s assassin, Khaled al-Islambouli. Both had originally been sentenced to death at the beginning of the 1990s in a case known in the media as the “Returnees from Albania” case.
“We would not have been discharged from prison had it not been for this revolution, which instilled dignity into us and restored to us some of the rights which were suppressed by security bodies, particularly State Security …” Zawahiri told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
“We bear no grudges against anyone and our hearts do not carry any hatred. We came out of prison with a desire to build our nations of which we were deprived. … From now on, nobody will be able to stop us from building our nation.”
He added that his priority is to work for the release of another 45 prisoners who he says were falsely charged. He called on Egyptians to demand these prisoners’ rights.
“They deserve to be honored after having stayed in prison for decades of their lives without making a mistake warranting this punishment,” Zawahiri said.
He said the revolution would only achieve success if it leads to the release of political prisoners who suffer from oppression.
Zawahiri spent 13 years in prison after being arrested in and deported from the United Arab Emirates.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
