A Cairo criminal court has ordered the release of Hassan Hanafy, a leading member of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of Muslim Brotherhood, in the trial known in the media as "the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy".

The court has also ordered the detention of Magdy Hussein and Magdy Karkar, leading members in Islamist party Istiqlal, for another 45 days pending trial in the same case. 

The prosecution accused the defendants in the case of several charges, including spreading lies and the incitement on violence. 

The Freedom and Justice Party was dissolved in August 2014, whereas the Muslim Brotherhood was designated as a terrorist organisation in November 2013. 

Istiqlal was banned in September 2014 by a court ruling for their participation in the Muslim Brotherhood-led National Alliance to Support Legitimacy (NASL).

The NASL is comprised of a number of Islamist parties and has been acting as the body representative of the Brotherhood since the disbanding of the group and its Freedom and Justice wing. The NASL has frequently organised events and rallies against the ouster of Morsi in the past two years.