Cairo: An Egyptian court on Saturday ordered the release from prison of young photojournalist and activist, Esraa Al Taweel, whose detention and tearful court appearance had unleashed widespread calls for her freedom.
Presiding judge of the Cairo Criminal Court, Hassan Fareed, ordered Al Taweel’s release on health grounds pending her trial on charges of disseminating false news and belonging to a terrorist organisation- a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, legal sources said.
The court decision bars Al Taweel, 23, from leaving her home without prior police permission, the sources added.
Al Taweel can hardly walk without a stick due to spine injuries she suffered two years ago after she was shot in the back during a rally marking the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that forced long-president Hosni Mubarak to step down.
In early June, Al Taweel’s family said she had mysteriously disappeared while on a picnic in Cairo. Two weeks later, she appeared inside a prison near Cairo in a pre-trial detention.
Last month, she was seen in tears in widely circulated pictures after the court, extended her jailing for 45 more days. Her images triggered a debate in the local media on circumstances of her detention and prompted an online campaign calling for her release.
At the time, the UK-based rights group Amnesty International also launched a plea for Al Taweel’s release from jail, warning that she could be permanently disabled.
Last week, Egypt’s Press Syndicate reported that 32 journalists are being jailed in Egypt, including 18 in connection with their job.
The government has repeatedly said that the detained journalists are in jail for criminal offences.
