The first thing he did after his release was embrace his mother Hala, his girlfriend Reny Iskander, his sister Marise and his father George, according to an ANSA reporter on the scene.
Zaki’s plans as a free man will come as little surprise to most.
“Now that I'm free, I'm thinking of retuning to Italy as soon as possible,” Zaki said.
“Let's hope that it happens soon.
“I'm thinking of returning to Bologna to be with my university colleagues.”
He added that first he would return to Cairo from New Mansoura.
The presidential pardon was the result of a “long and constant negotiation” between the Italian and Egyptian governments, sources said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday a Mansoura court had sentenced Zaki to three years in prison for allegedly spreading fake news, sparking widespread dismay in Italy, where his case has been followed closely.
Following the ruling, the 22-year-old researcher faced a further 14 months in prison having already spent 22 months in pre-trial detention following his arrest at Cairo airport February 2020.
He was apprehended while returning to Egypt from Italy to visit family on separate charges of subversive propaganda connected to some Facebook posts.
Zaki was released from custody in December 2021 but subsequently put on trial for allegedly spreading fake news in relation to three articles on Coptic Christians in Egypt, and he was banned from leaving the country.
ANSA
