Egypt court jails prominent activist for 5 years
Prosecutors accused Alaa Abdel-Fattah, 2 other activists of joining terrorist group, spreading fake news
ISTANBUL
An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced prominent political activist Alaa Abdel Fattah to five years in prison on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
The Emergency State Security Misdemeanor Court also slapped lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer and blogger Mohamed Oxygen with a four-year jail term each, state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said.
The court also slapped Abdel-Fattah with a fine of 200,000 pounds ($13,000).
Prosecutors accused the three of spreading fake news and joining a terrorist group that seeks to suspend the constitution and laws, and prevent state institutions from carrying out their duties.
In November, Egypt’s Court of Cassation upheld a ruling to place Abdel-Fattah, El-Baqer, and 26 others on the country’s terrorism list for a five-year period.
On Friday, the German Foreign Ministry called on Egyptian authorities to carry out a fair trial for the three Egyptian activists.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a harsh statement in response, accusing Berlin of meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara
