A Giza criminal court acquitted Wednesday afternoon leading Salafist preacher and former presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail on charges of insulting the police, suspending the initial court verdict in a retrial. Last September, the criminal court originally sentenced Abu-Ismail to one year in jail with hard labor for insulting and defaming the police. The famous Salafist preacher and former presidential candidate appealed against the court ruling. The case dates back to 30 December 2012 when video clips surfaced online showing Abu-Ismail verbally attacking and insulting police following a confrontation between security forces and his supporters. Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail was arrested in July 2013, during a crackdown on Islamists following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi, on charges of inciting violence that led to the death of nine protesters in Giza. In a separate case, he was later accused of submitting forged documents about his mother's nationality in official papers submitted to the election committee before the 2012 presidential election. In April 2014 he was sentenced to seven years in jail for forgoing the documents. Last month, the Court of Cassation rejected the appeal of the famous lawyer and Salafist preacher against the court ruling. Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail was also sentenced twice, in separate cases, to one year in jail with hard labor for insulting the judiciary during the forgery trial. Source: Ahram Online
