An Egyptian appeals court on Monday upheld the February conviction of opposition politician Ahmed Al-Tantawi, giving him a year in prison with hard labor.
Al-Tantawi had sought to challenge Egypt's strongman President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in last year's elections, but was detained by authorities immediately after his conviction was confirmed.
Al-Tantawi was seen as the leading challenger to President Sisi in last year's elections but ultimately did not run. He and 22 of his associates had previously been convicted of falsifying election documents, although their convictions were also upheld by a court.
Al-Tantawi claimed the government had thwarted the signature collection.
Al-Tantawi is banned from running in elections for the next five years and stopped campaigning last year, claiming that pro-government groups were preventing him from collecting signatures and arresting relatives and political allies – charges the government denied before his arrest.
At issue was a “Citizens' Statement of Support” that Altantawi urged voters to fill out to show their support for him after repeated computer glitches and similar problems prevented him from collecting signatures.
Government authorities accused him of “distributing election-related literature without proper authorization.”
Sisi wins election by landslide, eliminates challengers
Ultimately, Egypt's National Election Commission declared Sisi the winner, reporting that he received nearly 90% of the vote, securing a third term as president until 2030.
Outside observers such as the non-governmental organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch (HRW) say Sisi's regime has used a range of repressive measures to eliminate potential challengers, including the imprisonment of dissidents such as Hisham Qassem.
Similarly, rights groups say tens of thousands of people have been imprisoned as political prisoners by dictatorial former general Sisi, often in brutal conditions – charges the Egyptian government denies.
Altantawi's wife, Rasha Qandeel, denounced Monday's court ruling as a “political purge.”
js/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)
