Egypt court jails prominent activist for 15 years

AFP  |  Cairo 

A leading figure in Egypt's 2011 revolution was handed 15 years in prison on Wednesday after a retrial, a judicial source told AFP.

But the court of cassation overturned the ruling in October 2017 and ordered a retrial, which concluded on Wednesday.

In addition to the 15-year jail term, Douma was fined six million Egyptian pounds, a judicial source said.

The verdict can be appealed.

Douma was a leading activist in the 2011 revolt that toppled former Hosni Mubarak, who was succeeded by Islamist

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former who led the military in ousting Morsi, is accused of leading a relentless crackdown on both pro-democracy campaigners and Islamists.

While numerous key activists from the revolution are behind bars, the majority of top figures from Mubarak's regime have gradually been acquitted and freed.

The 2011 revolt saw hundreds of thousands of protesters call for "bread, freedom and social justice" and rally against a regime seen as corrupt and dictatorial.

But eight years on, the majority of experts view as the most repressive in the history of modern

In an interview with aired this week, the said has no political prisoners.

Egyptian authorities systematically deny allegations of human rights abuses.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Thu, January 10 2019. 02:55 IST