Cairo, Dec 7 (IANS): A court in Egypt Saturday ordered the release of 21 women jailed for protests demanding the reinstatement of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, the official news agency MENA reported.
On Nov 20, 14 women were sentenced to 11 years in prison, while seven were sentenced to juvenile detention on charge of gathering, blocking roads in the coastal city of Alexandria city and engaging in violence and sabotage.
On Saturday, the 21 women carrying red roses in court chanted songs to glorify the Muslim Brotherhood and the ousted president, Xinhua cited state-run Nile TV as saying.
The initial sentence was widely criticised by human rights activists who said the women were protesting peacefully.
Since Morsi was ousted by the armed forces in July, more than 2,000 Islamists, including top leaders of the Brotherhood, have been detained over inciting violence and murdering peaceful protesters.