Egypt: 38 people sentenced to life imprisonment after protests

Hundreds of people were arrested during the protests in autumn 2019

Photo: STRINGER/EPA-EFE/REX

Protests against the government in Egypt are dangerous - and can cost freedom: A court has sentenced 38 people to life imprisonment for taking part in anti-government demonstrations.

This was reported by the state news site "Al-Ahram".

The convicts were accused of endangering public order and violence against security forces.

The criminal court, which deals with national security cases, also sentenced more than 40 other defendants to prison terms of between five and 15 years.

In his absence, the building contractor and actor Mohammed Ali, who is living in exile, was sentenced to life imprisonment.

By his own account, he worked with the army for more than 15 years.

He had accused the army and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of corruption in several videos on social media, which led to protests in the country in autumn 2019.

Sisi had denied the allegations.

These were the first protests ever since Sisi overthrew freely elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and then massacred protesting Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

Since then, the regime in Egypt has fueled a climate of fear.

People end up in jail for critical tweets, and taking part in a public protest can be life-threatening.

The economic situation of many Egyptians had deteriorated during Sisi's tenure.

In return for loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government pushed through extensive reform and liberalization packages.

Among other things, Cairo has floated the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound since 2016, eliminated subsidies and increased interest rates.

Food prices have multiplied since then, while salaries and pensions have remained almost the same.

Millions of Egyptians with low and middle incomes suffered particularly badly from the consequences.

In Egypt, freedom of expression and assembly are severely restricted, and anti-government demonstrations are effectively banned there.

Hundreds of people were arrested in several provinces during the 2019 protests, according to human rights activists.

muk/dpa