Al-Marg misdemeanour court sentenced the leader of 6 April Youth Movement Amr Ali to three years in prison forcharges which included inciting riots and unlicensed protesting.
Three other defendants were sentenced with the same verdict,thoughin absentia. All the defendants were also accused of joining an illegal group and resisting authorities.
Ali, the general coordinator of the opposition movement, was arrested last September in his hometown of Ashmoun in Manufiya in what was then considered to bea forced disappearance untilhe was located at Tora prison after being interrogated without a lawyer present.
The verdict wasn’t surprising despite the absence of evidence to support the claim or to justify the ruling, said human rights lawyer Mokhtar Mounir.
“Nowadays, the justicialsystem in Egypt just plays along with the desires of judges and security institutions. Whether the evidence is sufficient or not, no longer concerns judges,” Mounir said.
