Egypt releases activists amid US concerns over detentions

Officials and lawyers say Egypt has released two activists and a journalist after months in pre-trial detention

CAIRO -- Egyptian authorities released two activists and a journalist Sunday after months in pre-trial detention, officials and lawyers said, amid concern by President Joe Biden’s administration over the arrest and harassment of government critics. State security prosecutors ordered the release of the three late Saturday pending ongoing investigations into charges against them, according to two judicial officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. Esraa Abdel-Fattah, a pro-democracy activist and writer, walked free early Sunday, her sister Shimaa wrote in a Facebook post. She was a co-founder of the April 6 movement that played a crucial role in the 2011 pro-democracy uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Abdel-Fattah was arrested in October 2019 in a city west of Cairo, during a crackdown that followed small but rare anti-government protests. Hundreds were arrested at the time, but many were later released.