Today, blogger and IFLRY Freedom Award Laureate Maikel Nabil is finally free. He was sentenced to two years in prison but after national and international pressure, he has was one of 1,959 who were granted release. The International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) welcomes this release, but would also like to urge for continued pressure until Egypt is truly democratic.

Maikel Nabil Sanad has been a blogger and activist for several years in Egypt. From 2006 until recently, Maikel Nabil has used the internet to mobilize public opinion for values such as human rights, peace and democracy. He was part of IFLRY’s official delegation to the Liberal International Congress in 2009 in Cairo. Maikel Nabil was arrested on 28 March 2011 in his home in Cairo for criticizing the army through Facebook. On 10 April, he was initially sentenced to three years in jail by a military court, even though Maikel Nabil is a civilian. From 23 August until 31 December Maikel Nabil was on a hunger strike in protest against his continued imprisonment.

In August, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) admitted that some 12,000 civilians across the country had been tried by military courts following grossly unfair trials. At least 13 have been sentenced to death. Maikel Nabil and others like him have been put in a cruel condition for many months. And although Maikel Nabil has been released, it should not be forgotten that he was pardoned rather than found innocent. This is why IFLRY supports Amnesty International’s call for the expunge of his criminal record and for him to be compensated for his ordeal.

IFLRY President Thomas Leys comments: “Maikel Nabil’s release is a victory for the freedom of expression. Moreover, as a civilian, Maikel Nabil should never have been tried before a military court. The right to a fair trial and the right to freedom of expression are among the foundations of democracy. We therefore call on the Egyptians authorities to ensure, safeguard and defend these rights of the Egyptian people.”