Egypt court orders release of anti-sex abuse activist

CAIRO: An Egyptian court on Tuesday ordered the release of a rights activist jailed since May after she criticised sexual harassment in the country in a video posted online, her lawyer said.

The decision to free Amal Fathi came as her husband Mohamed Lotfy, also a human rights activist, received a Franco-German prize for his work.

Attorney Mohammad Ramadan said on Facebook that a Cairo criminal court ordered Fathi’s release on ‘probation’, which means she must still report to a police station at certain times.

Fathi remains in custody, and proceedings to clear her name could begin as soon as yesterday unless the prosecutor appeals the court’s decision. Rights watchdog Amnesty International welcomed the court’s decision and called on authorities to immediately comply with it.

“Today’s court decision to order the conditional release of Amal Fathi, who has unjustly spent the past seven months behind bars, offers a glimmer of hope that her agonising ordeal in prison will come to an end soon,” Amnesty’s Najia Bounaim said in a statement.

“The Egyptian authorities must now comply with the court’s decision and ensure she is immediately released and reunited with her family,” Bounaim said.

“Releasing her on probation is not enough,” Bounaim added, and called on authorities to drop all charges against Fathi.