ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- An Egyptian appeals court Saturday ordered the release of 21 women and girls locked up since last month for taking part in an anti-government protest.
The hefty sentences, overturned by the court in Alexandria, had outraged many Egyptians and human-rights advocates, triggering a series of protests across Egypt, Ahram Online reported.
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The court reduced the 11-year sentences handed down to 14 women to a suspended term of one year, the BBC said.
The minors, ages 15 to 17, were acquitted after originally being sentenced to a juvenile facility until the age of majority.
The defendants had been swept up by police during a demonstration in support of former President Mohamed Morsi.
