Egypt court jails 4 youth activists for 'unlicensed' demo

2/29/2016 6:49:34 PM

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) >An Egyptian court on Monday jailed four members of the outlawed April 6 movement one of Egypt’s most prominent youth groups for staging an "unlicensed" demonstration according to a local judicial source.

The four including group coordinator Amr Ali were each slapped with three-year jail terms the source told Anadolu Agency.

The activists were convicted on several criminal charges including "resisting authorities" membership in an "illegal group" and planning to "overthrow the ruling authorities".

Monday’s verdict however remains subject to appeal.

Comprised mainly of young political activists April 6 was at the forefront of a 2011 popular uprising that ended the 30-year rule of autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.

In the months following the uprising the group was accused by Egypt's then-ruling Supreme Military Council of "sowing sedition between the people and army" -- an allegation the group denied.

April 6 also took part in a wave of protests in mid-2013 that culminated in the ouster of Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first freely-elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader -- in a military coup.

Since then however the group has become increasingly critical of Egypt's current military-backed authorities which it accuses of trying to restore the Mubarak regime.

In 2014 an Egyptian court outlawed the youth group ordering all of its offices closed.

April 6 founder Ahmed Maher is currently serving out a three-year jail sentence for participating in an "unlicensed" protest in late 2013.

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