An Egyptian military court on Monday sentenced political activist Mikel Nabil to three years in prison for insulting the Armed Forces. The court misled Nabil's defense team and gave the sentence after the team had left the courtroom, said Gamal Eid, a rights activist and the head of The Arab Network for Human Rights Information. Activists say the court said it was postponing the ruling, but then Nabil was taken to prison. Lawyer and rights activist Negad al-Boraie, a member of the defense team, had told Al-Masry Al-Youm earlier that he feared his client was not going to have a fair trial. Egyptian security forces arrested Nabil on 28 March after he published an article on his blog that claimed the army was involved in torturing detainees during the 25 January revolution. The article cited international news reports as references. The military prosecution charged Nabil with "publishing false information" and "insulting the Armed Forces". This is the first such case since the Armed Forces took over the leadership of the country on 11 February. Some rights activists believe Nabil's trial is intended to curb criticism of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, which is ruling the country for an interim period. Internet activists launched campaigns to support Nabil on Facebook and Twitter, calling for his release. Rights organizations say the trial of civilians before military tribunals violates the principle of fair and public trial.
