Maadi Misdemeanour Appeals Court upheld six-month prison sentences on Saturday for political activists Ahmed Douma, Ahmed Maher, and Mohamed Adel on charges of assaulting a police officer in 2014 while in detention.
The court rejected the appeal submitted by the activists, in which they denied the prosecution’s accusation of “verbally assaulting a public officer while on duty”.
On 10 March, during a trial session for the trio appealing their convictions for illegal protesting, rioting, and thuggery (a statue in Egypt’s penal code) among other charges, the defendants demanded their handcuffs be taken off while in court. Security personnel rejected the demand and “beat the defendants”.
The incident was recorded in the court log, according to defence lawyer Khaled Ali. However, a report was filed by security personnel against the trio, claiming they had assaulted the security forces.
Douma is serving a 31-year sentence over charges that include attacking the cabinet building and security personnel, burning the Scientific Institute in Cairo in 2011, illegal protesting, insulting the judiciary, and rioting.
6 April Youth Movement co-founder Maher and movement member Adel have been serving out their three-year sentences since December 2013.
