Source: POMED
Author(s): Mahmoud Farouk
Original Link: http://pomed.org/pomed-snapshot-the-wrong-target-egypt-imprisons-nonviolent-student-activist-for-terrorism/
SUMMARY
- On October 15, Andrew Nasif, an Egyptian university student and leftist opposition party member, became the first Coptic Christian to be sent to prison under the country’s draconian anti-terrorism law.
- The court ruled that Andrew promoted terrorist acts through Facebook posts, flyers, and petitions calling for political and economic rights.
- Andrew’s lawyer describes his conviction as “truly frivolous” and “literally completely empty” of any evidence showing that he was involved in calling for violence.
- His case is the latest example of how the Egyptian authorities punish peaceful dissent as “terrorism,” while the problem of actual violent militancy in Egypt grows worse.
- Genuine security in Egypt will come not through blanket repression, but through the rule of law, rights, justice, and strong and accountable institutions.
Read more at Original Link.