Egypt: Court orders leading activist freed on bail

An Egyptian court has ordered a prominent activist who has spent nearly four months in jail to be released on bail.

Egyptian authorities detained Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a leading figure in the 2011 uprising against longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak, in November, and charged him with organising a protest without permission and assaulting police.

His detention has caused an uproar among rights groups and the secular and liberal youth organisations behind the 2011 revolt that toppled Mubarak.

At today's opening hearing of Abdel-Farrah's trial, the judge ordered him released and set bail at about USDA 1,400. The court adjourned the proceedings until April 6.