A pastor and another Christian activist were released on Thursday after spending nearly two years in prison, according to relatives.

Pastor Hassan Abdelrahim Tawor and Abdulmonem Abdulwali from Darfur were released after they were granted a presidential pardon. The two Christians have been in prison since their arrest in December 2015.

The two Christians had received 10-year sentences for charges related to espionage, and two years of prison for inciting hatred between communities and propagation of false news.

They were convicted on charges of assisting Czech aid worker Petr Jasek, who was also pardoned and released on 25 February in alleged espionage charges, causing hatred among communities and spreading false information, according to their attorney.