An Egyptian author who had been imprisoned after a magazine published a sexually explicit excerpt of his novel, "The Use of Life," has been released on Thursday.

Ahmed Naji was freed after a court suspended his two-year sentence pending a review of his appeal on obscenity charges.

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Surrounded by friends and supporters, Naji was rushed into a waiting car and declined to speak to the press.

 Ramy Yacoub, deputy director of the Tahrir Institute for the Middle East, said that Naji "opted not to be photographed once he left the police station."

"I will drive him home safely," Yacoub posted on his Twitter account.

Naji's year-long case has caused an international uproar, with many accusing the Egyptian government of cracking down on freedom of expression. His imprisonment was seen as a larger effort by the government of army-chief-turned-president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Prosecutors are accusing Naji of "violating public modesty." 

The author had been previously acquitted, but an appeal by prosecutors led to a court handing him a two-year prison sentence.

Marcia Lynnx Qualey, a Cairo-based literary critic, told media that "Naji's imprisonment, like the closure of the Karama libraries, is terrible evidence of the narrowing space for public laughter, creativity, art and reading."

"As we pass the days until his appeal, we must continue to demand the space for his freedom," the literary critic added.

Two Cairo branches of the charity-founded Al-Karama library were shut down by Egyptian authorities earlier this month. No legal reasons were provided for the closure.

The libraries were founded by human rights activist Gamal Eid.

TagsEgypt, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi