Egyptian blogger freed

Egyptian blogger and activist Alaa Abdel Fattah accused of inciting violence during an October demonstration by Coptic Christians in Cairo was released Sunday after nearly two months in detention.

Alaa Abdel-Fattah's first stop after he was freed was Tahrir Square, the heart of the campaign against the military, which took power after Mubarak's ouster. He was accused of inciting violence and other offences during clashes that killed 27 people in October but was never formally charged.

The blogger refused to undergo questioning by the military prosecution on the grounds that the military itself was implicated in the case and that it had no right to try civilians. Coptic demonstrators present in the October clashes said they were fired upon by soldiers during a protest march and that several people were killed when armoured vehicles ran over and crushed them. Abdel-Fattah and his supporters dismissed the accusations that he incited violence, accusing the military of attempting to silence a prominent critic.

The military has been criticised for putting thousands of civilians on trial in military courts. The blogger's arrest raised tensions between the pro-democracy activists and the military generals led by Hussein Tantawi.

The investigation of Abdel-Fattah's case was transferred to a civilian court, which ordered his release on Sunday. Abdel-Fattah, a leader of the popular uprising that ousted former Egyptian president Hoshni Mubarak in February, was Egypt's first blogger activist. He was detained for six weeks in 2006 under Mubarak's regime.