Egyptian pro-democracy activist free after 5 years in prison

A leading Egyptian pro-democracy activist was freed from prison early Friday after serving a five-year sentence for inciting and taking part in protests, his family and lawyer said.

The terms of his release, however, require that he report to a police station every day for the next five years.

Alaa Abdel-Fattah rose to prominence with the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that swept the Middle East and in Egypt, toppled long-time President Hosni Mubarak.

To many, his imprisonment three years later at a time when authorities imposed draconian laws banning public gatherings and unauthorized demonstrations was another sign of Egypt's return to autocratic rule.

Abdel-Fattah's sisters, Mona and Sanaa Seif, posted on Facebook that "Alaa is out," along with a video of him at home, playing with a dog.

His lawyer, Khaled Ali, confirmed the release by posting: "Thanks God, Alaa Abdel-Fattah at home."
"We hold everyone who is still unjustly in prison, everyone who's been disappeared, very much in our hearts and thoughts."