Prominent researcher Mina Thabet was released on a bail of EGP 10,000, according to his lawyer Doaa Mustafa.

Thabet, a member of the local observatory Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), was arrested from his home in mid-May on charges of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and attempting to overthrow the regime.

During the preliminary investigations, the prosecution confiscated a leaflet he allegedly possessed that featured the Tiran and Sanafir islands. The leaflet refers to a recent maritime demarcation deal between Egypt and Saudi Arabia concerning the mentioned islands during the visit of King Salman to Cairo in early April.

Thabet’s case was added to the same investigations of the protesters that were arrested while demonstrating and calling for the return of the islands to Egypt in April. Dozens were charged with inciting protests and attempting to overthrow the regime.