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19 students given 5 years in prison for storming Al-Azhar building The defendants were charged with rioting, attacking police personnel, sabotaging public and private property, and blocking traffic when storming an Al-Azhar building
A Cairo criminal court on Saturday sentenced 19 Al-Azhar students to five years in prison and a fine of LE20,000, for storming the headquarters of the Al-Azhar institute. The defendants were charged with rioting, attacking police personnel, sabotaging public and private properties, and blocking traffic. Another student was given three years in prison and a LE20,000 fine, while another was acquitted. Last November, hundreds of Al-Azhar University students attempted to storm the building, prompting police to fire rounds of teargas and cordon off the area. They were marching protesting a court verdict on their fellow colleagues where 12 pro-Morsi students were given 17 years in jail, one of the first of many recent verdicts against protesting students. The university has become a hub for demonstrations by supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi, as the authorities press on with a crackdown on dissent. Across Egypt, hundreds of students have been incarcerated for illegal protesting and rioting. Many have been expelled or suspended, also over rioting. A number of students have been killed in recent months during protests that often descend into clashes with police. Al-Azhar is an ancient centre of Islamic learning which runs mosques, universities, schools and numerous charities, in addition to issuing religious edicts (fatwas). http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/102102.aspx
