Egypt Frees Several Prominent Activists Ahead of Eid al-Adha

CAIRO - Several prominent Egyptian activists and journalists were released from custody on Sunday following months of detention on charges including joining or aiding a terrorist group and spreading false news, lawyers representing them said.

Egyptian authorities have in recent months released detainees ahead of major Muslim holidays. Sunday's releases come two days ahead of Eid al-Adha, one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar. Esraa Abdelfattah, an activist and journalist who was among the organizers of Egypt's January 2011 revolution that ended the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, was released from custody in Cairo early Sunday, more than 21 months after her arrest, her lawyer Ahmed Ragheb told Reuters. "I spoke to her, she is doing very well. Her spirits are high, and she is surely very happy with this decision, in order to resume her life," Ragheb said adding that the case remains open and investigations are ongoing despite her release.