International
Nearly two dozen women and girls, some as young as 15, were handed heavy prison sentences Wednesday for demonstrating against a disputed protest law, as Egypt's interim prime minister defended the new measure that restricts public demonstrations.
The women, supporters of deposed former President Mohamed Morsi, received 11-year jail sentences for forming a human chain and passing out fliers earlier this month. Seven minors among the group were remanded to juvenile detention until they reach legal age of 18. The youngest in the group is 15-years-old.
Six men, described by prosecutors as Muslim Brotherhood leaders, were sentenced to 15-year terms, accused of being members of a "terrorist organization."
In a news conference Wednesday, Hazem el-Beblawi, the interim prime minister, defended the new law that requires citizens to apply for permission before taking part in demonstrations.
“The cabinet confirms that it will apply the law fully to show its support for the police in the face of terrorism," said el-Beblawi. "The law is subject to change but through the proper channels.”
Meanwhile, protesters opposed to both Morsi and the interim, army-backed government gathered in downtown Cairo Wednesday for a rally against the law. Unexpectedly, the Interior Ministry announced that it had approved the march, even though organizers denied applying for a permit.
The ministry said the application was submitted by the father of Salah Ahmed Mohamed, known as “Jika,” the first protester killed during Morsi’s tenure.
Backlash against the protest law is the latest criticism of Beblawi’s increasingly unpopular government. Leaders of Tamarod, the petition campaign that organized the protests that preceded Morsi’s ousting, have criticized the law as too harsh, and several were arrested while protesting against it on Tuesday in the southern city of Aswan.
“They had one party against them already, the Muslim Brotherhood,” said Magdi Hussein, a campaigner from Tamarod who attended Tuesday’s protest. “I don’t know why they passed this law. It will turn another group against them.”
Al Jazeera and wire services
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