Egypt court upholds sentence for 3 activists

An Egyptian appeals court today upheld convictions and three-year prison sentences handed down to three of the country's most prominent political activists, a ruling that is likely to revive opposition to a draconian protest law they were accused of violating.
It is also certain to deepen the rift between Egypt's liberal and secular pro-democracy campaigners many of whom participated in the 2011 popular uprising against Hosni Mubarak and the current military-backed government.
The ongoing campaign against dissent and pro-democracy activists has been overshadowed by a much larger crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood group and other Islamists. That push has led to the death of hundreds and the jailing of at least 16,000 people since the July ouster of President Mohammed Morsi.

The ruling sparked a storm of anger on social media networks, with dozens of activists calling for a sit-in outside the presidential palace in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis.
The wife of Ahmed Douma, one of the three activists, wrote on her Twitter account that she was headed there. Douma suffers from stomach ulcer and has complained in past court hearings that he was not being properly treated in jail.
The three activists Ahmed Maher, Mohammed Adel and Douma were leading figures in Egypt's 2011 popular uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Mubarak.

The three were accused of violating a controversial new law on holding street protests and were sentenced each to three years in prison in December.

The law imposes draconian restrictions on any public gathering, but the government says it is meant to bring order and stability to the streets in the face of months of continued protests by supporters of the Islamist Morsi.
The court also ruled today that each of the three would be fined USD 7,140.
"The judge, regretfully, has upheld the sentence on Douma, Maher and Adel. Down, down with the oppressive verdict," one of their lawyers, Gamal Eid, wrote on his Twitter account, minutes after the ruling was read by presiding Judge Ahmed Faisal.
Another defence lawyer, Ahmed Seif al-Islam, said he planned to challenge the ruling, but acknowledged that the process could take months.

"If we can't overturn the verdict, we will take the case to the African Court on Human and People's rights," he said.