A Cairo Criminal Court ordered on Saturday ordered the release of well-known activist and blogger Wael Abbas under probationary measures, six months after he was arrested for “publishing false news and inciting against the state.”
Prosecutors accused Abbas, 43, of “broadcasting false news, information and statements with the aim of disturbing public peace and undermining trust in state institutions”.
Abbas was one of the pioneer bloggers in Egypt in the 2000s with his “Egyptian Awareness” blog, which fiercely criticized government policies during the rule of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
He was a fierce critic of the Muslim Brotherhood during the rule of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, and has also been a strong critic of the government.