Egypt jails top anti-Mubarak activists

Egypt has sentenced three leading anti-Mubarak activists to three years in prison each as part of a crackdown on critics of the interim government.

Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel were found guilty of organizing an unauthorized protest and attacking police officers last month.

The three were also ordered to pay a fine of 50,000 Egyptian pounds ($7,100, 5,200 Euros) each.

The activists were arrested in November after taking part in a protest against a new law that restricts demonstrations.

They are key members of the 6 April Youth Movement that spearheaded the 2011 uprising against Egypt’s long-time President Hosni Mubarak, which led to his ouster.

The activists are the first to be jailed under the new law enacted last month by the military-installed government, which states that public gatherings of more than 10 people require police authorization.

Another prominent pro-democracy activist, Alaa Abdel Fattah, has also been arrested for allegedly participating in an illegal protest. The date for his trial has not been announced yet.

He had previously been jailed under Mubarak, the military junta that ruled after his ouster, and the country’s first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi.