Appeals court acquits 33 people arrested in April 25 protests

A Cairo appeals court acquitted 33 people sentenced to two years in prison for participating in protests against the transfer of Tiran and Sanifir islands to Saudi Arabia.

The verdict was announced by Qasr al-Nil Misdemeanor Court on Saturday evening, according to the Haqanya Center for Rights. The acquitted protesters were originally sentenced to two years in prison, rights lawyer Mokhtar Mounir said on his Facebook page.

On May 25, a Dokki court vacated five-year sentences against another group of 47 protesters arrested on April 25. The court upheld LE100,000 fines against each defendant, and those unable or unwilling to pay the fines in full still face jail time.

According to rights group The Front to Defend Egyptian Protesters, more than 1,000 people were arrested or detained between April 15 and 27, the period coinciding with popular mobilization and protest against the transfer of the islands. Of those, 577 were referred to prosecution, the group reported. 

On May 14, 152 protesters were handed sentences ranging from two to five years in prison. In addition to violation of the protest law, charges against them included inciting violence to overthrow the government, inciting attacks on police stations, joining a terrorist organization and preventing the president from carrying out his duties according to the constitution.

In a televised interview Friday, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said that 90 percent of prisoners in Egypt were there on criminal charges. Sisi said he had looked into the cases of the remaining 10 percent three times. “And I will look again for a fourth time,” he added. “It’s a very small number but it’s all about how we portray it.”