Maikel Nabil poses at Tahrir Square before an Egyptian military tank holding a placard that reads “We refuse to let the army seal the uprising of the people” (Photo: Ahram archive)
Coptic blogger Maikel Nabil has been sentenced to two years in military prison on Wednesday and fined LE200 (US$30.3).
The verdict was returned by a C28 military court Wednesday after the case was adjourned five times over the past few months.
In addition to the fine, the military court also ruled that Nabil must pay LE300 (US$50) in fees for the military lawyers who represented him during the appeal.
“Yes, he was sentenced to two years in jail, fined and obliged to pay the fees of the military lawyers representing him,” Naguib El-Masry, one of the activists supporting Nabil, told Ahram Online.
Nabil was slammed a three-year sentence by a military court in April after criticising the army's role in the January 25 Revolution through a blog post entitled “The army and the people were never one hand.”
His family appealed the sentence as the case drew widespread local and international interest.
Moreover, to protest his sentence, Nabil has started a hunger strike for over 100 days, and refused at one point to talk to military prosecutors arguing that he is a civilian and, therefore, should be tried accordingly.
Wednesday’s ruling leaves no room to Maikel to use legal maneuvers with Egypt’s military trial that would reduce his sentence.
Currently more than 12,000 Egyptian citizens are languishing in prison after being tried by military courts starting 28 January.
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