One of the Egyptian activists behind the 2011 uprising freed from prison after presidential pardon

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — One of the Egyptian activists behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak has walked free from prison under a presidential pardon after spending nearly 10 years behind bars. Authorities released prominent activist Ahmed Douma from a prison complex outside Cairo on Saturday, according to a rights lawyer. Douma was serving a 15-year sentence for his conviction of taking part in clashes between protesters and security forces in the Egyptian capital in December 2011. For years, many politicians and public figures called on President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to pardon Douma as part of mounting calls to end a yearslong crackdown on dissents. Egypt has waged a wide-scale crackdown on dissent over the past decade, jailing thousands of people.