Activist icon of Egyptian revolution Sentenced to 15 years

No dissident escapes the elongated arm of Egypt’s repressive justice. Alaa Abdel Fatah, one of the symbols of the revolution of 2011 who was still at large, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison with 24 other lfor organizing an illegal demonstration in November last year, according to a filtration official newspaper Al Ahram. The harsh sentence issued is similar to the others during the last week against Islamist sympathizers, coinciding with the inauguration of the new president, Abdel Fatah al Sisi, inaugurated last Sunday.

In addition to organizing an illegal demonstration, Abdel Fattah, a famous blogger, 32, was accused of causing damage to public and private facilities, cutting the street, and assaulting a police officer, something he has always denied. The event in question took place in front of the Senate building and was the first protest against the draconian law recently passed against protests. The legislation states that the Ministry of Interior has the authority to ban any protest, and establishes harsh prison sentences against those who participate in a rally that has not been authorized.

According to local media, the judge issued a default judgment because the defendants were not present. In the room, there were not journalists, because the police did not allow them to enter the court. Mona Seif, Abdel Fatah sister and a known activist, said in her Facebook account that her brother and two other defendants wanted to attend the hearing, but were prevented from entering the court premises and were arrested. “The judge wanted to try them in absentia for not hearing their arguments and witnesses. But what he wanted was his arrest,” wrote activist.

Because of these irregularities, the defense counsel submitted an appeal requesting a retrial. ” The defense team was not present at the hearing today, and has been surprised by the verdict against the defendants in absentia even though all have attended previous sessions.

Abdel Fatah belongs to a known family of activists. His father, Ahmed Seif al Islam, a specialized human rights lawyer, is the founder of the Hisham Mubarak prestigious Center, one of the pioneering human rights organizations in Egypt. His sister Mona is the main responsible for the No campaign to military trials against civilians.

The now convicted blogger was arrested in October 2011, during the rule of the military that took power after overthrowing Hosni Mubarak, and judged by similar accusations against the current. Finally, after an international campaign for his release, justice closed the case and was released two months later.

The news comes just days after several controversial decisions. On Monday, a court sentenced to a year in jail 112 people for taking part in an illegal demonstration on 25 January, on the third anniversary of the revolution against Mubarak.

However, three days before the ten-year sentence to a police command convicted for the death of 39 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in a police van was overturned. The Egyptian judiciary has been questioned after court has sentenced over 1,000 people to death in two different cases.

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Posted by Maleeha Tareen on Jun 12 2014. Filed under Middle East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.