Hisham Kassem, a well-known publisher and activist who had recently criticized President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s regime, was given a six-month prison sentence by a Cairo court on Saturday, according to his attorney.
Al-Tayar al-Hurr, or Free Current, a recently established liberal organization, is led by Kassem. The movement indicated it could run a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for early 2024. It has called for political change to confront an economic crisis.
With ongoing support from the security services, Sisi, a former army chief, is not anticipated to face any significant challenges.
According to Kassem’s attorney, Nasser Amin, the defendant was found guilty of libel and slander against a former cabinet member and verbally abusing police officers at a station after being arrested. The judgment’s economic court also assessed him a 20,000 Egyptian pound ($645) fine.
According to Amin, an appeal hearing was scheduled for October 7.
Kassem was arrested last month after harshly criticizing Sisi and how he has run Egypt since 2014 in social media posts. In jail, Kassem, a former publisher of the weekly Al-Masry Al-Youm, had begun and interrupted a hunger strike.
Political opponents from all sides of the political spectrum have been caught up in Sisi’s extensive crackdown on political dissent.
Since late 2021, the government has made several actions that it claims address rights issues, including announcing a human rights plan and lifting a state of emergency. However, many have criticized these actions as purely symbolic.
Some well-known detainees have received pardons or have been released. However, activists claim that new arrests have outweighed releases, thousands of political prisoners are still behind bars, and free expression restrictions are harsh.
This week, the United States approved most of its annual foreign military aid to Egypt, citing the importance of the nation to its national security.
