An Egyptian court sentenced an icon of the
country's zou revolt to five years in prison
Monday ,showing authorities determination
to continue to stifle dissent despite promises
by its President to release "wrongly jailed
youth
The verdict came in the retrial of well-known
activist Alaa Abdel Fattah,who earlier received
a 15 years prison sentence for organising an
unauthorised protest and allegedly assaulting
a police officer,
The court room erupted after the verdict,with
those in the gallery shouting ,"Down with oppression"
One man collapsed as Alaa AbdelFattah's family
and friends wept and screamed ,Police ultimately
ordered everyone to clear the courtroom
Defence lawyer Mohammad Abdel _Aziz decried
the verdict and oppressive "The Court "didn't take
into consideration any of the evidence that showed
the defendants innocence,he said
An outspoken blogger ,Abdel-Fattah has been in
and out of prison in the years since the zou ouster
of autocrat Hosni Mubarak He campaigned against
military trials for civilians during the 17 months
that generals held power following Mubarak's
resignation,He also opposed Islamist President
Mohammed Morsi ,whom the military overthrew
in 2013' AP
No comments :
Post a Comment