Egyptian Court Convicts Opposition Leader and Aides, Bars Future Candidacy
The conviction of Ahmed Altantawy and 22 aides for unauthorized endorsement forms is seen as retaliation for challenging President el-Sisi, amid calls for dropping all charges.
- Ahmed Altantawy and 22 of his aides, including his campaign manager, were sentenced to one year in prison by a Cairo misdemeanor court for disseminating unauthorized endorsement forms.
- The court also barred Altantawy from national elections for the next five years, a move criticized by Human Rights Watch as a clear message that no serious challenge to President el-Sisi will be tolerated.
- Altantawy, who dropped out of the presidential race last year due to lack of voter signatures and alleged harassment by state security, remains at liberty pending an appeal, with bail set at 20,000 Egyptian pounds.
- More than 120 members of Altantawy’s presidential campaign have been arrested since last year, highlighting a broader crackdown on political opposition.
- Human Rights Watch and other advocacy groups have condemned the conviction and the electoral process as a farce, calling for the immediate release of all detained without credible evidence and for the charges against Altantawy and his aides to be dropped.