Egypt: Leading activist found guilty after critical tweet
CAIRO – A court Monday found a leading Egyptian human rights activist guilty of insulting a judicial election commission in a tweet he posted last year following a national vote.
The misdemeanor court in the capital of Cairo fined Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal rights, around $640, his group said.
In July, Bahgat was ordered to stand trial on charges he insulted Egypt’s election authority, spread false news alleging electoral fraud, and used social media to commit crimes.
His indictment was based on a 2020 tweet in which he blamed the election authority’s chairman for allegedly mishandling the parliamentary vote held that year.
The U.S. State Department condemned Bahgat’s trial and detention at the time.