A Dokki misdemeanour appeals court adjourned on Wednesday the hearing of an appeal presented by prominent human rights lawyer Khaled Ali against a three-month prison sentence to 3 January to meet requests by the defence.

In September, Ali was sentenced by a misdemeanour court to three months in prison for offending public decency after allegedly making an obscene hand gesture outside the State Council headquarters in January while celebrating with supporters following a successful administrative court ruling in his favour against the April 2016 Egmypt-Saudi maritime border demarcation agreement.

The court’s decision to adjourn came after Ali's lawyers asked to hear testimonies from members of the technical committee from state-run TV, which, after reviewing video footage, had issued a report stating that Ali had committed the alleged indecent act.

The adjournment comes two days after Ali announced his intention to run in the upcoming presidential elections in 2018.

A final conviction in the case would prevent Ali from qualifying as a candidate in the elections, which are expected to be held in the spring of 2018.

Ali was a candidate in the first round of the 2012 elections, receiving only 134,056 votes.