16 defendants sentenced to 10 years prison

Jihad Abaza
1 Min Read

The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Tuesday 16 defendants to ten years imprisonment, and five years under police supervision upon the end of their sentence.

The defendants were arrested for allegedly attempting to storm Waily police station in downtown Cairo, last September.

They were also charged with inciting violence, assaulting security officers and belonging to an illegal, unconstitutional group. Nine of the defendants were tried in absentia, one other accused in the case died outside Egypt before the verdict.

The verdict is not final, meaning the defendants have the right to appeal.

Since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 the state has arrested thousands in a crackdown on the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition forces. The Ministry of Interior claims that it arrested around 16,000 people, while the independent watchdog WikiThawra counts 41,000 arrests.

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Jihad Abaza is a journalist and photographer based in Cairo. Personal website: www.abaza.photo
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