Egyptian political activist Sanaa Seif was released from prison on Tuesday. Seif was released [MEE report] after serving six months for “insulating a member of the prosecution.” Seif and dozens of other protesters were arrested shortly before a protest in April against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for handing over [Al Jazeera report] two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. Seif was convicted [Guardian report] after she failed to attend a summons on suspicion of inciting protests. After the charge, Seif refused to appeal the decision and handed herself in. This came after Seif received a presidential pardon after she was imprisoned for a 2014 protest.

Egypt has been internationally scrutinized in recent months over allegations of human rights infringements and free speech violations. Last month an Egyptian court froze assets [JURIST report] of five notable human rights activists and three NGOs for allegedly accepting foreign funds without governmental authorization. In July Amnesty International criticized [JURIST report] the Egyptian government for abducting and torturing hundreds of citizens during a crackdown on political activists and protesters. And in May the UN urged [JURIST report] the Egyptian government end its oppressive response towards human rights advocates in the country. The experts reported that Egypt has cracked down on protesters, journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders in recent years by conducting mass arrests, using aggressive force and invading people’s privacy.