Court orders release of 5 activists accused of attempting to overthrow the state

A final court order was given for the release of five activists accused of attempting to overthrow the government through their opposition to a land deal involving Tiran and Sanafir islands, including rights activist Ahmed Abdallah, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) reported.

The defendants include Abdallah, who is head of ECRF’s board of trustees, Ali Khalifa, Abdel Rahman Hamza, Mohamed al-Sayed Ibrahim and Mahmoud Hesham Khalifa.

An order for the activists’ release was first given by the North Cairo Criminal Court last week, but the prosecution appealed the decision, delaying their release.

The five were arrested, along with hundreds of others, in the wake of mass popular protests against a land transfer deal of two Red Sea islands, Tiran and Sanafir, to Saudi Arabia in April. They faced charges of indirectly promoting terrorist activities, attempting to overthrow the government, inciting protests and spreading false news to endanger national security and peace.

Prominent rights lawyer Malek Adly was released in August after three months in solitary confinement on similar charges. Journalist Amr Badr was also released this month after being charged in the same case.

Activists Zizo Abdo, Haytham Mohamadeen and Hamdy Qeshta, as well as journalist Mahmoud al-Saqqa are still in detention on similar charges.

The contentious land handover deal raised controversy within Egypt’s political circles, particularly after an administrative court invalidated the border deal in June, and ruled that the two islands should remain under Egyptian sovereignty. The Egyptian government challenged this decision before the Supreme Administrative Court, which is expected to issue its final verdict soon.