Sudan president pardons 101 Egyptian fishermen held for spying

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday issued a decision pardoning 101 Egyptian fishermen Khartoum was accusing them of spying, Sudan's Ashorooq Net reported.

"After consulting with the justice minister, al-Bashir issued a decision pardoning 101 Egyptian fishermen who have been held by Sudanese authorities on charges of spying and breaching the regional waters at the Red Sea," the report said.

In April, the Sudanese authorities arrested the Egyptian fishermen inside Sudan's regional waters and filed law suits against them in accordance with Sudan's criminal law, passports Act and Sea fisheries' law, where their trial was delayed more than once last July.

Also in the month, a Sudanese court in the Red Sea fined 29 Egyptian fishermen and a captain on charges of breaching the Sudanese territorial waters, while on April 12 a second ruling was issued against 46 other Egyptian fishermen.