Alaa Abdel Fattah released on bail, court asks to be recused from Shura protests case

Cairo Criminal Court Monday released political activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah and 24 other defendants on bail worth 5,000 pounds each on charges of organizing unauthorized rallies outside the Shura Council last year.
The judges also asked to recuse themselves from the case.
The defendants are accused of taking part in riot actions that followed the protest
outside the Upper House of parliament on November 26. They are also accused of blocking the road and attacking police troops.
The court also referred a CD to the public prosecution office to examine it and determine who included it as evidence in the case.
The CD contained personal pics of Alaa Abdel-Fattah and his family.
The judges decided to refer the case to Cairo Appeals Court to decide which criminal court should complete the re-trial of the defendants.
In June, the same court had sentenced them in absentia to 15 years' rigorous imprisonment and fined them 100,000 pounds each. Back then, it had also decided to place them on parole for five years after they have served their terms.