Egypt activist Douma given 15-year prison term

An Egyptian pro-democracy activist known for his role in the 2011 uprising was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined the equivalent of $333,000 for his participation in the protests yesterday.

A Cairo criminal court sentenced Ahmed Douma following a retrial that was held after he appealed the life sentence previously handed to him.

Douma was sentenced in February 2015 to life in prison on charges that included “assembly” and “vandalising public buildings” but he appealed the ruling and the Court of Cassation ordered a retrial in 2017.

The ruling in the retrial can also be appealed.

The case is related to what is commonly referred to as the “Cabinet Council events”, which erupted in December 2011 when security forces in charge of guarding the Cabinet Council buildings beat up a protester, stirring clashes between protesters and security personnel.

The protests, which took place ten months after former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down amid a popular uprising against his rule, were held over the appointment of one of Mubarak’s men, Kamal Ganzouri, as prime minister.

Douma has already served a three-year sentence for violating the controversial anti-protest law that was issued by an interim government following the 2013 military coup.

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