17 people arrested last month during a crackdown on homosexuality were released by a Cairo court on Sunday, judicial sources said.
They had been charged with practicing homosexuality and inciting debauchery and were sentenced to three years in prison should they fail to pay a fine of $285 which is equivalent to 5,000 Egyptian pounds, Reuters reports.
The defendants have been given leave to appeal against the sentence in a higher court.
Although homosexuality is not specifically outlawed in Egypt it is a conservative society and discrimination is rife. Gay men are frequently arrested and typically charged with debauchery, immorality or blasphemy.
In October Egyptian security forces arrested 57 people in a wave of arrests triggered by the raising of a rainbow flag at a music concert.
The overwhelming majority of those arrested were not involved in the flag incident, however, and were arrested over their perceived sexual orientation in the following days.
