A Cairo appeal court has ordered the release Thursday of all defendants except blogger and activist Alaa Abdel-Fatah who were charged by authorities in connection with Maspero’s deadly events which saw military forces violently clampdown on peaceful protests on 9 October, leaving 25 dead and several hundreds injured.

Activist Mona Seif, Abdel-Fatah’s sister, stated on her Twitter account that her brother was not released because his lawyers failed to lodge an appeal against last Tuesday’s court ruling that renewed his 15-day detention, pending further investigation.

Seif expressed on Twitter that the release of the other 27 defendants was a promising sign and boded well for Abd El-Fattah.

Known on Twitter as @Alaa, the respected blogger is currently facing charges that include stealing an officer’s weapon, destroying military property and attacking security forces.

Among the 27 defendants released on Thursday by the appellate court were injured victims from Maspero’s Bloody Sunday that were accused of inciting violence and attacking military personnel.

Meanwhile, according to an anonymous security source, Alaa Abdel-Fatah voted on Thursday at a special polling station in Tora jail in the second round of the Egypt’s first post-Mubarak parliamentary polls.