Mahienour al-Massry and Youssef Shaaban released from prison after serving 15-month sentences

Human rights lawyer Mahienour al-Massry and journalist Youssef Shabaan were both released on Saturday after serving 15-month prison sentences.

A court originally sentenced them both to two years in prison for storming Raml Police Station in Alexandria.

Relatives of Massry and Shabaan reported their delayed release, with both being held in police trucks for hours before appearing in front of Alexandria prosecution to finalize their release procedures.

Shaaban’s wife Ranwa Youssef said they were transferred to National Security Agency facilities Saturday morning, where they remained for hours before they were transferred back to the police station before their release.

The case dates back to March 30, 2013, when several activists and lawyers accused officers at Raml Police Station of assaulting a lawyer representing defendants accused of burning the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters.

An appeals court upheld a two-year sentence against Massry and eight others in May 2014 in another case, in which they faced charges of breaking the Protest Law and gathering on December 2, 2013 outside the trial of police officers accused of murdering Alexandrian Khaled Saeed in 2010.

Doctor Taher Mokhtar and two of his roommates were released on bail last week and lawyers say they also experienced lengthy procedural delays of up to 24 hours in a police truck.