The Egyptian authorities have released a Coptic human rights activist after more than two years in prison on pre-trial detention.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) welcomed the release of Rami Kamil on 9 January but said he should never have been arrested in the first place.
Mr Kamil is the founder of Coptic human rights group, the Maspero Youth Union, which was formed in the wake of a 2011 massacre in which 20 Coptic protesters were killed by the military during a peaceful civil rights protest.
He was arrested in 2019 on terrorism charges, but CSW fears he was targeted because of his human rights work documenting religious freedom violations.
He has been released pending trial and is said to be in good health, but CSW said his detention had exceeded the two-year limit permitted for pre-trial detentions under the Egyptian Penal Code and that he should have been released much sooner.
CSW's Founder President Mervyn Thomas is calling for all charges against Mr Kamil to be dropped.
"CSW welcomes Mr Kamil's release from pre-trial detention, and we are pleased to hear that he is back with his family and in good health. However, he should never have been arrested; neither should he have had to spend so long in pre-trial detention," he said.
"We call for all the charges against him to be dropped without precondition, and for the immediate and unconditional release of all others detained on excessive charges that amount to the criminalisation of human rights activism."
