Egyptian court sentences al-Sissi's opponent to one year in prison

An Egyptian appeals court on Monday upheld a one-year prison sentence against a prominent political activist who attempted to challenge President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in last year’s election, a defense lawyer said.

Former presidential hopeful Ahmed Altantawy was detained by security forces at the Cairo court after the ruling, lawyer Khaled Ali said.

Mr. Altantawy was convicted and sentenced in February along with 22 of his aides, including his campaign manager, for distributing unauthorized endorsement forms for his candidacy. The court also banned Altantawy from participating in national elections for the next five years. At the time, Mr Altantawy was released on bail on appeal.

The lawyer said the court on Monday upheld the sentences handed down to all the defendants.

Altantawy, who was widely seen as the opposition's most viable candidate, withdrew from the presidential race last year after failing to collect the number of voter signatures required for nomination.

At the time, he accused state security services of harassing his staff and supporters to prevent him from reaching the candidacy threshold.

Al-Sissi was re-elected by an overwhelming majority for a third term.