The prosecution has demanded a maximum penalty of up to fifteen years for Egyptian-US human rights activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim, on trial for defaming Egypt's reputation, court sources said Saturday.
The prosecutor in the case before Egypt's high state security court said Ibrahim and 27 co-defendants had tarnished Egypt's image, established "a center whose objective is to conduct espionage activities," and embezzled funds, according to AFP.
He demanded they receive "the most severe penalties," which could mean up to 15 years behind bars, the court sources said. Ibrahim and the others have been charged with tarnishing Egypt's image by "spreading false information abroad" about "supposed electoral frauds" as well as receiving, without official approval, funding from the European Union to finance the activities of the Ibn Khaldun Center.
Ibrahim, a sociology professor at the American University in Cairo and head of the center, served eight months in prison after the state security court sentenced him to seven years in prison in May 2001, sparking protests in both the United States and Europe.
He was freed in February when Egypt's top appeals court ordered a retrial, saying the first case had failed to examine properly the prosecution's evidence as well as the defense's arguments. (Albawaba.com)
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