Activist Sanaa Seif being held at Qanatar Prison

After turning herself in to authorities on Saturday, activist Sanaa Seif is being held at Qanatar Women’s Prison, according to her sister Mona Seif.

In a Twitter post in the early hours of Sunday morning, Mona Seif added that Sanaa has not yet been allowed family visits.

Seif was charged with insulting a public official after she refused to cooperate during an investigation last month in relation to charges of instigating April 25 protests against the transfer of the Red Sea islands Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia.

Seif reportedly told authorities that she would not participate in the investigation because her personal experiences — including serving over a year in prison for protesting before receiving an executive pardon — led her to believe Egypt’s judicial system had lost sovereignty and impartiality.

Seif chose not to contest the charges against her, and received a six-month sentence in absentia on May 4.

“I simply have no energy left to deal with their procedures,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “This is not a show of bravery … As long as they insist on implicating me, and since either way I’ll pay the price, I’d rather do it while staying true to myself.”

Seif reported to the Sayeda Zeinab Police Station after the verdict was issued against her, and was told by prosecutors to return in 10 days.

She begins serving her sentence on a day when temperatures peaked at 45 degrees, and activists raised concerns about the health of prisoners in Egypt’s overcrowded jails.

Seif’s brother, Alaa Abd El Fattah, is currently serving a five-year sentence for protesting.