Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has faced strong opposition from the Muslim Brotherhood, their supporters and many of the youth groups involved in the January 2011 uprising. His government has criminalized protesting without a permit, and thousands have been detained as a result.
President Sisi this month formed a committee to investigate youth detention and assess whether any of the minors held by the government are eligible for release.
During President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, many youths who opposed him have been detained. Some have stood trial; others are behind bars, even though they haven't been formally charged.
One international human rights organisation estimates up to 40,000 young people are imprisoned - most of them supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. Rights groups say it's difficult to keep track of the numbers of political prisoners.
"There are no accurate statistics in Egypt. Rights groups and the media struggle to obtain credible information, so we don't know exactly how many are detained. We suspect thousands. We've started asking people to report any youths they know who've been arrested. So far we've received more than 570 cases," said Halim Heneish, Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom.
Sisi wants to reconcile with youth organisations. Recently he organised a youth conference to open up channels of dialogue. At that forum, he announced that a committee would be formed to investigate every single case against imprisoned young people. But even the government is unable to confirm how many youths are detained in prisons across the country.
"Unfortunately we don't have an exact number. That's why the president is focusing on this issue. It's easy to arrest a person, but later this person could seek revenge and the arrest could damage his future, that's why we're looking into all cases against young people detained, accused or convicted," said Tarek El Khouly, Egyptian MP of Committee on Detained Youths.
After meeting the committee on Saturday, Sisi has a list of 83 young Egyptians recommended for release. And as the number of reported cases continues to grow, he's accepted MPs' request to extend the deadline of their investigation.
The president has also expanded the committee's mandate to include those who've been handed a final verdict, so he can pardon them. However, while some have praised Sisi's initiative, others are concerned.
"There is definitely an improvement in Egypt's human rights record. Yes, the president has talked about releasing those behind bars, but legally he doesn't have the right to do so. The detainees should be subject to judicial authorities. So it shows us that there is a flaw in the system," said Halim Heneish.
The committee's work has been extended indefinitely. President Sisi is expected to approve the release of the first group this week.
