Egyptian dictatorship jails human rights activist

This 29 September video is called Breaking News – Egypt activist sentenced over ‘fake news‘.

Tranlated from Dutch NOS TV today:

Egyptian human rights activist gets 2 years in prison due to video

The Egyptian human rights activist Amal Fathy has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment because she posted a video on social media in which she criticized the government. In that video she said that the Egyptian government is failing to improve the living conditions in the country and in protecting women from sexual harassment. She also has to pay a fine of nearly 500 euros.

Fathy was arrested in May, after complaining in the 12-minute video about sexual harassment in taxis, bad service at banks, crowded traffic and general living conditions in the country. She was charged with “spreading fake news“, making her a risk for national security and public decency.

“This is unfair, unfounded and incomprehensible”, says her husband, who is also a human rights activist. “We have already provided the evidence to show that she has not spread fake news“, he says. He believes that this statement means that “all Egyptian women should keep their mouths shut”.

Freedom of speech

Human rights organization Amnesty has responded with anger to the conviction. “We call on the Egyptian authorities to release Amal Fathy immediately and without conditions, and to drop all charges against her”, says the campaign director of the African department of Amnesty. “Her imprisonment is an insult to the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution.”

Fathy is still facing another lawsuit. The activist is also suspected of membership of the April 6 movement, a group that was important in overthrowing the regime of President Mubarak in 2011. A court banned that movement in 2014.