Egyptian crackdown targets secular activists as well as Islamists

Source: LA Times

In a case that was seen as part of a broadening crackdown on secular activists, a brother and sister who were active in the uprising against Hosni Mubarak were given suspended one-year jail terms on Sunday in connection with an attack on a campaign headquarters in 2012.

Liberal activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, his sister Mona Seif and 10 others were found guilty by an Egyptian criminal court of assault, property damage and theft in the attack on the headquarters of former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq.

The verdict comes as human rights advocates decry a crackdown that began by targeting Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi and now is reaching secular and leftist opposition youth.

The suspended verdict means that the defendants will not serve the jail term unless they are indicted on any other charges in the next three years -- a measure that could have a chilling effect on any further activism.






Read more: http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-egyptian-crackdown-secular-20140105,0,2912365.story#ixzz2pZHcXCY7