CAIRO — An Egyptian court overturned Thursday a decision to release a prominent activist who has been detained for nearly five months without trial over what his family says are unjust charges. He was arrested in September amid an unprecedented crackdown that followed small protests demanding President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi step down. On Wednesday, a court had ordered that Abdel Fattah be released but shortly afterward the State Security Prosecutors appealed the decision before another court. “We were expecting the release order to be reversed,” said Abdel Fattah's sister, Mona Seif. “Actually, we consider yesterday's release order like a glitch in the system and an off-course move.”

Source: International New York Times February 20, 2020 15:33 UTC