CAIRO, Aug 28 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's Interior Ministry has decided to allow jailed political activists Alaa Abdel Fattah and Sanaa Seif temporarily out of prison to attend their father's funeral, Mohamed Rateb, director of the Prison Authority, told Aswat Masriya on Thursday. 

Father of the two activist and acclaimed human rights lawyer Ahmed Seif Hamad passed away on Wednesday in a Cairo hospital after struggling with illness. He was 63.

Rateb added that a prison car would transfer the two siblings amid tight security to Salah al-Din mosque in Manial district  where the funeral will be held. 

Alaa Abdel Fattah was arrested on June 11 shortly after being convicted of violating the protest law, among other charges. The law, issued by former interim President Adli Mansour in November to regulate peaceful assembly, has long been the epicentre of wide criticism by domestic and international human rights organisations which say it violates international standards for peaceful protests.

Abdel Fattah's sister Sanaa Seif was meanwhile arrested on June 21 while taking part in a march calling for the repeal of the protest law and the release of all those arrested on background of the law. She has been referred to a misdemeanour court, alongside 23 other protesters, for illegal assembly as well as other charges.

Alaa started a food strike last week as "he couldn't bear with being prevented from standing by his father's side before he went into an open heart surgery," according to a family statement.