An Egyptian court confirmed Saturday that Magdy Hussien, head of the Istiqlal party and editor-in-chief of Al-Shaab newspaper, has been sentences to eight years in prison on charges of spreading extremist ideas and false news.
The court refused Hussien’s appeal, and confirmed the sentence.
The party’s media office said Saturday that Hussien was previously convicted of two charges with two sentences: “the first was spreading misinterpretation of the Quran and spreading extremist ideas for which he received five years. Another is spreading false news that aims to disturb societal peace, for which he received three years.”
Lawyer Ahmed Kamal, who attended the trial session, said police forces did not escort Hussien to the trial, adding that the police wanted Hussien to be absent “so the court refused the appeal as the defendant was not present”.
Hussien was acquitted last week on charges of inciting violence and planning to topple the regime, along with nine other leading members of the Anti-Coup Alliance (ACA).
The Istiqlal Party was ordered to be dissolved by a Cairo court in 2014. The party has been a vital player in the Islamist pro-Morsi Anti-Coup Alliance, acting as a strong vocal opponent to the current government and to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
