Egypt announces freedom, mass pardon for 30 jailed activists

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities have announced the release of 30 political activists from jail. The announcement late on Thursday marks the latest in a series of mass releases from detention amid intensifying international scrutiny over Egypt’s human rights record. There was no word on the identities of the activists or how many had already been freed. Egypt’s hosting of the two-week world climate summit earlier this month was overshadowed by the hunger strike of imprisoned Egyptian political dissident, Alaa Abdel-Fattah. He intensified his hunger strike and stopped drinking water during the summit, then as concerns for his fate mounted, halted the strike. Since 2013, Egypt has cracked down on dissidents and critics, jailing thousands, virtually banning protests and monitoring social media.