Prominent Egyptian activist and lawyer Ziyad al-Elaimy was released from prison on Monday following a presidential pardon, after rights groups raised their concerns ahead of a UN climate conference to be staged in Egypt next month.
Al-Elaimy, a former lawmaker, walked free from the Badr prison complex in eastern Cairo three years after he was arrested.
Last year, al-Elaimy received a five-year jail sentence for spreading false information.
He and others were arrested in June 2019 for allegedly planning "to overthrow the state," as the nation marked the anniversary of the ousting of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.
The pardon came in response to calls by several political groups and the Presidential Pardon Committee, according to lawyer and committee member Tarek al-Awadi.
Since April, more than 1,000 people have been released thanks to presidential pardons after mediation by the committee, according to al-Awadi.
Like al-Elaimy, some of those pardoned were detained for cases related to politics.
After the military forced Morsi out of power in 2013 following mass protests against his one-year rule, the authorities launched a crackdown that put thousands of people behind bars. Most were accused of involvement in the deadly violence or of being members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
Last year, Amnesty International said thousands of people remained arbitrarily detained, with many convicted after unfair trials.
Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27, activists worldwide have called on Egypt to release thousands of political detainees and to open up civic society.
The conference takes place in the Red Sea town of Sharm el-Sheikh in November.
