Egyptian activist walks free after nearly 2 years in jail

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities have released a rights activist after he spent nearly two years in jail in a case that has drawn significant international attention. Patrick George Zaki walked free on Wednesday from a police station in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, a day after a court there ordered his release pending trial. The 29-year-old rights advocate and student at the University of Bologna in Italy was charged with spreading false news about Egypt, charges that stem from a 2019 opinion piece he wrote on discrimination against Coptic Christians in Egypt. He was arrested in February 2020 while on a short visit home from Italy.