Activist Mohamed Sultan sentenced to Life in Prison
Mohammed Soltan, the son of a prominent member of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was arrested in August 2013, when security forces came looking for his father at his house. They didn't find the father at the time, but arrested him instead, Soltan's family said.
Mohamed Sultan
2. An Egyptian criminal court sentenced a dual U.S.-Egyptian
citizen on a monthslong hunger strike to life in prison
Saturday on charges of financing an anti-government sit-in
and spreading false news.
Mohammed Soltan, the son of a prominent member of the
now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was arrested in August
2013, when security forces came looking for his father at
his house. They didn't find the father at the time, but
arrested him instead, Soltan's family said.
3. The 27 year old been on a hunger strike over his detention
for more than 14 months and his health is rapidly
deteriorating, his family said.
4. The court also upheld death sentences for 14
people, including Brotherhood leader Mohammed
Badie and Soltan's father, Saleh, and sentenced
36 others beside Soltan to life in prison.
None of the defendants were present in the
courtroom as Judge Mohammed Nagi Shehata
read out his ruling. Shehata has developed a
reputation for harsh sentences against perceived
government critics. Last year he sentenced three
journalists from Al-Jazeera English to jail terms
5. ranging from seven to 10 years, a verdict that
exposed Egypt to global complaints of suppressing
media freedom.
In a statement after Soltan's sentencing, the U.S.
Embassy in Cairo said it remained "gravely
concerned" about him and the outcome of his
case.
"We will continue to monitor his case closely and
to provide him with all possible support," the
6. embassy said. "His health and well-being remain
of particular concern and remain a top priority to
us."
The case is rooted in violence that swept the
country after the military-led ouster in 2013 of
Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, a
Brotherhood leader, whose supporters set up
protest camps in Cairo. Security forces violently
dispersed the sit-ins in August 2013, killing
7. hundreds. In retaliation, many police stations and
churches came under attack.
Since Morsi's ouster, Egypt has faced international
criticism for conducting mass trials with judges
issuing severe sentences.
http://www.amwalalghad.com/
