Egypt jails 15 for anti-coup demonstrations in 2013

By Jamal Abdel Moez

CAIRO

An Egyptian court on Thursday slapped 15 people with jail terms for taking part in unauthorized protests following the country’s 2013 military coup, according to a local judicial source.

The source, speaking anonymously for security reasons, said a criminal court in Egypt’s southern Minya province had sentenced the 15 defendants -- 14 of whom were tried in absentia -- to 10 years each behind bars.

The sentences remain subject to appeal, according to the same source.

In mid-2013, Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was ousted in a bloody military coup.

Shortly afterward, Egypt’s post-coup authorities passed legislation criminalizing unauthorized street protests.