A Cairo court on Wednesday adjourned the retrial of prominent activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah and 24 others to 10 September, judicial sources said. All defendants received a 15-year jail term and were ordered to pay a fine of LE100,000 for rioting, destruction of public property and using violence against security forces. The case is in relation to a protest held by a group of activists in November of last year in front of the Shura Council to denounce an article in the new constitution allowing civilians to be tried by military courts. The defence lawyers on Wednesday asked to call members of the constituent assembly, who were drafting the constitution inside Shura Council, as witnesses. The demonstration came just after a controversial protest law was issued, allowing only demonstrations authorised by the authorities and setting lengthy jail terms and heavy fines on violators. The verdict in June caused uproar among rights activists who called for the immediate release of Abdel-Fattah and the others as well as for abolishing the protest law, which they deemed restrictive. Source : Ahram online
