On Thursday morning, blogger Alaa Abdel Fatah and other detainees accused in relation to the 9 October Maspero clashes arrived to C28, the military prosecution headquarters, to attend the appeal hearing of their case.

Alaa's family, friends and supporters have strong hopes that he will be released upon appeal.

The No to Military Trials campaign will hold a press conference at the Goethe Institute Thursday afternoon to discuss Alaa’s case and others imprisoned by military trail.

Alaa Abdel Fatah was arrested and detained for 15 days pending investigation after refusing to be interrogated by the military prosecution on 30 October 2011. Alaa refused to cooperate with the military prosecution because he believes that no civilian should stand in front of a military court and that the military police was involved in the clashes he was accused of helping to incite. The military prosecution should not investigate the case, Alaa has said.

Along with inciting violence, Alaa has been accued of stealing military arms and attacking military properties. 

Many politicians, activists and potential presidential candidates, like Abdel Moneim Abol-Fotouh and Mohamed Salim El-Awa, have rallied behind Alaa Abdel Fatah, calling on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to release him immediately.

On Wednesday, the Egyptian Shorouk newspaper and British Guardian newspaper published a letter written by Alaa behind bars with the title “After Egypt’s revolution, I never expected to be back in Mubarak’s jail”. Alaa spoke about his 2006 imprisonment experience during the Mubarak era and the injustice of military trials.