5/27/2024–|Last updated: 5/27/202411:37 PM (Mecca time)
An Egyptian Court of Appeal upheld on Monday a one-year prison sentence with hard labor for the dissident Ahmed Al-TantawiOn charges of forging electoral documents while trying to compete with the president Abdel Fattah Sisi In the dues conducted last December.
Lawyer Nabih Al-Janadi said, “The one-year prison sentence with labor was upheld in today’s session against Al-Tantawi and all his campaign, and Al-Tantawi was arrested inside the hall.”
The ruling also banned Al-Tantawi from running for elections for 5 years.
Lawyer Khaled Ali said that Tantawi was detained in court and transferred to a correctional institution, joining more than 20 members of his campaign, who were previously sentenced in the same case.
Ali said that Tantawi has the right to veto, but it may take 60 days to begin legal proceedings.
Al-Tantawi – who was initially sentenced to prison last February – wanted to compete with Sisi in the presidential elections, but he was unable to run due to what he called restrictions and harassment that prevented him from obtaining the necessary agencies and recommendations to run.
While trying to run for office, he asked his supporters to draw up powers of attorney by filling out manual forms that he called “popular powers of attorney,” instead of the official forms signed by the competent authorities.
But the authorities considered such a procedure a forgery of electoral documents, and referred his case to the courts.
It is noteworthy that President Sisi won a third term for 5 years in the elections held last December, obtaining 90% of the votes.