ICC Note: Mina Thabet was arrested in May under accusations of belonging to a terrorist organization. Thabet, a well known minority rights activist was finally released on bail on Tuesday, June 21. Because of his advocacy efforts, especially those done on behalf of Christians, has led to government forces singling him out for harassment.

06/23/2016 Egypt (Morningstar News): A noted Coptic human rights activist arrested in May and accused of belonging to a terrorist organization was released from prison Tuesday (June 21) after posting bail.

A judge in the Al-Wayly Court of Appeals on Saturday (June 18) set a 10,000 Egyptian pound (US$1,125) bail for Mina Thabet, 26, director of the Minority and Religious Groups Department at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF). Attorneys for the state on Monday (June 20) lost an appeal against the decision to grant bail. Processing of Thabet’s release paperwork delayed his release until Tuesday (June 21), contrary to media reports claiming he had been released earlier.

Sitting at home hours after his release, Thabet said he was relieved to be out of prison.

“I am happy but angry for being arrested in the first place,” he said. “The feeling of being in prison for defending human rights and my country was ‘absurd.’”

Thabet is well-known across Egypt as an advocate for the country’s minority groups, primarily the Christian community, and he has worked tirelessly documenting persecution against the minority group and the government’s apparent apathy toward protecting Christians or resolving their problems. Because of his advocacy efforts, sources said, government authorities have singled him out and harassed him on multiple occasions.

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