Egypt reduces sentence for poet accused of religion contempt
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An Egyptian appeals court has reduced the sentence against a poet accused of contempt of Islam to a six-month suspended prison term.
Fatma Naoot had appealed an earlier three-year sentence over a Facebook post criticizing the slaughter of animals for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. She denies the charge.
Thursday's decision comes after a series of rulings against artistic work or speech deemed offensive to religion fueled accusations that authorities are clamping down on freedom of expression.
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Earlier this year, Egyptian author Ahmed Naji was sentenced to two years for publishing a sexually explicit excerpt of his novel that prosecutors said violated "public modesty."
Last week, a former TV host convicted of "defaming religious symbols" was pardoned by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.