Egypt jails policemen for 3 years following protest

An Egyptian court yesterday sentenced 50 policemen to three years in prison each after they organised a strike in the South Sinai region.

The low ranking officers were protesting against a change in their annual leave that would see them work five extra days, with five fewer days leave, according to ABC News.

The policemen were arrested in January and were also charged with inciting violence and intimidating security forces. Forty of the officers were fired, in addition to being fined 6,000 Egyptian pounds ($330).

Read: Judge caught receiving bribe says Egypt

Egyptian police face a heightened risk of attack, as the country battles Daesh militants in the Sinai Peninsula.

Since the ousting of democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian government has shown little tolerance for any form of protest.