Egyptian Court Affirms Prison Sentence for Opposition Politician

An Egyptian appeals court has upheld the conviction of opposition politician Ahmed Altantawy, sentencing him to one year of hard labor. Altantawy, who aimed to challenge President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in last year’s election, was taken into custody immediately after the ruling, alongside the 22 associates he was charged with. Beyond incarceration, Altantawy received a five-year ban from running for office. Before his arrest last year, Altantawy had suspended his campaign, alleging state-linked groups obstructed him from collecting signatures and were arresting his allies. Because of these hurdles, Altantawy had distributed “popular endorsement forms” for voters to fill out in his support. It was because of this that the authorities arrested him, claiming he had circulated “election-related papers without official authorization.” While Sissi would go on to win the election by a landslide, outside observers have accused him of using repressive measures, including imprisonment, to eliminate potential challengers.

SOURCE: DW