CAIRO: A military court on Thursday gave suspended one-year sentences to 15 protesters and suspended six-month sentences to 10 others, all detained by military police while commemorating the Palestinian Nakba in front of the Israeli embassy last Sunday.
All 25 were released Thursday evening.
Protesters were charged with vandalizing public property, spreading chaos, disturbing the public, blocking the street, attempting to storm the embassy and holding banners condemning the “Zionist entity”, which threatens security.
The rest of the protesters are expected to be tried in front of a military court on Saturday.
The military police arrested more than 150 protesters at the time, but 17 minors were released.
Hundreds gathered Wednesday in Tahrir Square condemning the detention of activists by military police. Tarek Shalaby and Mosa’ab Elshamy, young activists who took part in the January 25 uprising, were among the 150 who were arrested from the streets close to the embassy.
Nora, Tarek’s sister, told Daily News Egypt, "Tarek was charged with six charges, he was found innocent in the first four, and got one-year sentence for gathering in front of the embassy to prevent people working there from doing their job and deliberately vandalizing property, [which is the entrance] of the embassy’s building.”
The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) said it will give suspended sentences to 120 protesters detained during the crackdown on Tahrir Square protesters on March 9.
Amnesty International released a report on Thursday urging authorities to provide justice to the victims of violence during the revolution.
"The Egyptian authorities must provide justice to all of the victims of violent repression that took place during mass anti-government protests earlier this year," said the report.
Rights activist and member of No for Military Trials against Civilians Mona Seif told DNE that there is a shift in SCAF’s attitude towards protesters.
"Unlike what happened with protesters of March 9 and April 9 and 12 who got three to five years sentences, protesters now are getting suspended sentences," said Seif.
"But it is hard to predict the reactions of the SCAF; I think this shift would be a result of the continuous reports issued by international human rights organizations condemning military trials, and also to halt the usual calls of Friday million man marches," she said.
