An Egyptian appeals court has reduced the jail sentences for 23 pro-democracy activists found guilty of taking part in an unlicensed protest from three years to two, their lawyers say.
The defendants were accused of holding an illegal protest on June 21 calling for the release of detainees and the annulment of a law that bans all but police-sanctioned demonstrations.
They were also accused of vandalism during the rally near the presidential palace in Cairo and sentenced in October to three years behind bars.
The appeals court cut their sentences to two years in jail on Sunday, defence lawyer Ragia Omran said.
The activists each have to pay a fine of 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($A1650) when released and will be placed under police supervision for two years, another defence lawyer, Khalid Ali, said.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"If their fathers were generals they would have been acquitted," said Ali, in reference to the recent acquittals of police officers accused of violence.
"This verdict is harsh and unfair. The court relied on the prosecution's investigation and has not taken into account the lack of evidence against the accused," he added.
The rights activists include Yara Sallam and Sanaa Seif, described by Amnesty International as "prisoners of conscience".
Amal Mahrus, the mother of one detainee, said the verdict was unfair.
"The revolutionaries are all in prison, the corrupt and the thieves are all free," she said outside the courtroom.
Sunday's sentence can still be appealed at the Court of Cassation, the country's highest tribunal.
