An Alexandria Court ordered the release of labour activist and lawyer Mahienour El–Massry, after the court accepted her appeal against a six month imprisonment sentence.
El-Massry had been initially sentenced to two years in prison and fined EGP 50,000 alongside eight others by the Alexandria Misdemeanour Court for violating the Protest Law.
She was accused of participating in an unauthorised demonstration and assaulting security forces. She was arrested while participating in a protest in solidarity with torture victim Khaled Said on 2 December 2013. The protest took place during the trial of two former police officers charged with torturing and killing Said.
El-Massry has won this year’s Ludovic Trarieux Award Thursday, given annually to a lawyer for defending human rights.