The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has discontinued investigations of major Ahmed Shouman, an army officer who handed over his weapon and joined the 25 January revolution.
The decision, a statement published on the council’s official Facebook page said, was made by the head of the council even though the officer violated the regulations of the army.
The decision to suspend investigations was motivated by a belief in the noble objectives of the 25 January revolution, it added
Thousands of activists on Facebook had started a signature-gathering campaign calling for Shouman's pardon and pardons for other officers who handed over their weapons and joined the revolution.
In an official statement, the Egyptian Writers' Union had also urged the army to pardon officers and soldiers who took part in "Egypt's great revolution."
Dozens of Facebook activists had also called for a protest in front of the Egyptian Television building to urge the head of the Supreme Council to release Shouman.
Approximately 3000 Facebook users hailed this step as positive, saying that it confirms that people were right to place their trust in the military.
The Egyptian Armed Forces page on Facebook, created two days ago, already has more than quarter of a million fans, which may make it one of the most popular Egyptian pages on Facebook, second to "We Are All Khaled Saeed" which currently has more than 870,000 members.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
