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Douma, a leading figure in the pro-democracy revolt that toppled
autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011, was sentenced in 2019 to 15
years in prison for rioting and attacking security forces.
In delivering his verdict at the time, the judge said Douma was
part of a crowd that broke into parliament and damaged part of
it, describing them as doing the work of the "devil."
Like several other prominent activists in Egypt, Douma has been
jailed under Mubarak, the subsequent ruling military council,
former president Mohamed Mursi, and al-Sisi.
Last month, authorities also freed Egyptian rights researcher
Patrick Zaki and lawyer Mohamed el-Baqer after they were
pardoned by al-Sisi.
Since late 2021 Egypt has taken a number of steps which it says
are aimed at addressing human rights, including amnesties for
some prominent prisoners, but critics have dismissed the moves
as cosmetic and say arrests have continued.
Egypt's most prominent activist, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, and many
other detainees swept up in a decade-long crackdown on dissent,
remain in prison.
Authorities have said the arrests were made on security grounds.
(Reporting by Mohamed Hendawy; Writing by Enas Alashray and Adam
Makary; Editing by Toby Chopra and Tomasz Janowski)
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