February conviction of opposition politician Ahmed Altantawy, meaning that he will serve a one-year jail sentence with hard labor.
Altantawy, who sought to challenge Egypt’s strongman in elections last year, was immediately taken into custody by authorities after the conviction was upheld.
Seen as the most , Altantawy and 22 associates — whose convictions were also upheld by the court — were previously convicted of forging election documents.
Altantawy claimed government blocked him from collecting signatures
Now barred from running for office for five years, Altantawy suspended his campaign last year after claiming that state-linked groups had been blocking him from collecting signatures as well as arresting relatives and political allies — something the government denied before arresting him.
At issue were “popular endorsement forms” that Altantawy encouraged voters to fill out in support of him after numerous computer malfunctions and similar hurdles blocked him from collecting signatures.
Government authorities accused him of “circulating election-related papers without official authorization.”
Sissi won ‘landslide’ after eliminating election challengers
Ultimately, Sissi was declared the winner by Egypt’s National Election Authority, having reportedly won nearly 90% of the vote to secure . That term expires in 2030.
Outside observers, such as the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), said had used, “an array of repressive tools to eliminate potential challengers.” These included the jailing of opponents, such as Hisham Kassem.
Similarly, rights groups say tens of thousands of individuals have been — many under brutal conditions — by the authoritarian former general Sissi. The Egyptian government denies this.
Altantawy’s wife Rasha Qandeel decried Monday’s court decision as “political liquidation.”
