Shubra El-Kheima court granted releases for both prominent rights lawyer Malek Adly and journalist Amr Badr, whose detention in separate incidents had stirred controversy among rights advocates.

According to the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), the appeals division in Shubra El-Kheima court is the same one that granted Adly a final release Saturday, and accepted Badr’s appeal against his detention on Sunday.

Also known as the “detainees of the land,” both Adly and Badr were imprisoned against the backdrop of against the backdrop of public controversy and protests that surrounded the maritime border demarcation deal signed between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in April, also known as the Red Sea islands case. They were accused of publishing and spreading false information and inciting to protest.

Photos by Asmaa Gamal