The Cairo Criminal Court has postponed the Shura Council Trial to 10 September and extended the detention of the three defendants Alaa Abdel Fattah, Hamada Al Nubi and Wael Metwally. Amr Imam, a lawyer working on the case said that in the next trial the court will hear the prosecution witnesses. Abdel Fattah and 24 other defendants were sentenced in absentia in June to 15 years, handed a EGP 100,000 fine and put under surveillance for a period of five years. They were found guilty of violating the Protest Law issued by former President Adly Mansour in November 2013. Out of the 25 defendants, three were held in custody. The defendants were also charged with demonstrating against military trials for civilians outside the Shura Council, acquiring weapons during the protest, illegal assembly, and attacking a police officer and stealing his radio. Imam added it is unlikely the three defendants will be released soon, adding "they were being held in custody with the intention of keeping Alaa Abdel Fattah in prison." International human rights organisations have criticised the protest law since then and condemned the sentence. According to Amnesty International the issuance of the law is "a serious setback for human rights in Egypt" Abdel Fattah was prosecuted during the regime of former president Mohamed Morsi for inciting violence against Muslim Brotherhood members. In 2006, he was arrested under Mubarak after demonstrating for an independent judiciary. He was detained for 2 months in 2011 for allegedly assaulting soldiers during the attacks that were taking place outside Maspero.
