ISMAILIA: A military court in Ismailia sentenced Wednesday head of the defunct Labor Party Magdy Hussein to two years in prison and a LE 5,000 fine. The judge refused to allow defense attorneys in the court room as he issued the verdict. Hussein is accused of illegally crossing the border to Gaza through a smuggling tunnel during Israel's 22-day offensive. Hussein and his wife, Naglaa Al-Qaliuby, denied the allegations, saying that he crossed over to Gaza through a breach in the Rafah border. A group that included Al-Qaliuby and supporters from different opposition movements arrived at the court after the verdict was pronounced and protested outside the court for two hours. They had gathered in front of the Journalists' Syndicate early Wednesday morning. State Security and security officials refused to inform Al-Qaliuby and others present outside the court room of the final verdict and denied knowledge of the case altogether. Members from the Kefaya movement, the April 6 movement, the Muslim Brotherhood and Hussein's Labor Party chanted anti-Mubarak slogans and demanded freedom to all political activists who have seen the inside of a military courtroom. "We will not stop until this failed regime is down, Al-Qaliuby told Daily News Egypt after she heard the verdict. "It's a shame for Egyptians to live under a regime that puts innocent people in prison, she added. On Tuesday, activist Ahmed Abou Doma was sentenced to one year in prison and a LE 1,000 fine in another military tribunal, also for crossing into Gaza and allegedly joining one of Hamas' military wings. Hussein's defense lawyer plans to appeal the verdict. "We have a legal right to present an appeal to the judge within 15 days following the military law contesting this verdict, and we will do so under the name of the head of the Journalists' Syndicate, Sayed Abou Zeid, lawyer with the Journalists' Syndicate, told Daily News Egypt. Human rights activists and lawyers were shocked at the "harsh verdict. "The verdict is unjust and Hussein was a scapegoat for anyone who would think about defying the regime, Mostafa Al Heda, a lawyer from Swaseya Center for Human Rights told Daily News Egypt. Al Heda, who joined the protests outside the court room, was also dismayed by the court's decision to ban lawyers from attending the hearing. "It's only normal to let the defense attorney in [the court] to hear their client's verdict. It feels that it was done in haste and was based on orders, he added. Hussein was arrested on Jan. 31 when he crossed back into Egypt from the Gaza Strip. At a press conference Sunday, Al-Qaliuby said that he had tried to enter the Gaza Strip twice before and was sent back. The authorities said they found no official ID save a driver's license on Hussein upon his arrest. Hussein was deputy of the first socialist turned Islamist Labor Party which became defunct in 2000 for its ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.
