One of the leading activists in Egypt’s 2011 uprising, Alaa Abd El Fattah, was given a 15-year prison sentence on Wednesday.

Abd El Fattah, repeatedly detained and interrogated since the fall of the Mubarak regime, was imprisoned on charges of organizing a protest.

The activist and blogger was sentenced in absentia after he was barred from entering the courtroom. Following the judge’s statement, he was taken to prison.

Twenty-four other activists were also sentenced for their roles in the November 2013 protest, “No to Military Trials for Civilians”, held two days after the Government restricted public assembly.

Abd El Fattah was seized and beaten in a raid on his home on November 28. He was held for almost four months before he was granted bail.

See Freed Activist Alaa Abdel Fattah on Regime’s Repression & State of the Revolution
Activist Abd El Fattah Among 50+ Arrested in Crackdown on Protests

The Egyptian regime has detained thousands of people and killed hundreds of demonstrators since the military deposed President Mohamed Morsi in a coup. The leader of the coup, General Abdel Fatteh El Sisi, was inaugurated as President on Monday.

See Alaa Abd-El Fattah from Prison “Half an Hour With My Son Khaled”