Egypt will begin trial proceedings on Tuesday against Hossam Bahgat, a prominent human rights activist, for a tweet criticizing alleged election fraud.
Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), is accused of “insulting” Egypt’s electoral commission after he alleged that last year’s parliamentary elections were riddled with incidents of electoral fraud and vote-rigging.
The activist is also being prosecuted for “spreading false news.”
“We will present evidence to the court of reports and information published by people involved in the elections,” to support his allegations, Hoda Nasralla, one of Baghat’s lawyers, told AFP.
Bahgat’s EIPR has been targeted by authorities in recent years. Three of the organization’s staff members were jailed last year, sparking an international campaign supported by celebrities which resulted in their release.
Egypt’s Sisi, a former army chief who took power in 2014, launched a crackdown on dissent leading to the detention of about 60,000 political prisoners, rights groups estimate.
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