An Egyptian court on Saturday convicted former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and 18 others of insulting the judiciary, sentencing them to three years in prison in a court session aired on TV.
The case involves a total of 24 defendants, five of whom including prominent rights activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah and political analyst Amr Hamzawy, were fined 30,000 Egyptian pounds each ($1,688). Abdel-Fattah is serving a five-year sentence for taking part in an illegal protest in 2013. Hamzawy lives in exile.
All the defendants are accused of insulting the judiciary by making statements that were made public either on TV, radio, social media or in publications.
The court also ordered for Mr. Morsi to pay 1 million Egyptian pounds ($56,270) as compensation to one of the judges. It ordered 22 of the defendants to pay 1 million Egyptian pounds each to a powerful union of judges known as the “Judges Club,” State-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported.
The verdict can be appealed. Since his ouster in 2013, Mr. Morsi has since faced trial on a host of charges, including espionage and conspiring with foreign groups.
Mr. Morsiis serving a life sentence of 25 years over accusations of spying for Qatar. Earlier, he was handed a 20-year sentence on charges arising from the killing of protesters in 2012.
