Activist Leila Seif held a sit-in at the Supreme Judicial Council Wednesday protesting the imprisonment of her son Alaa Abdel Fattah and daughter Sanaa Seif, said the Freedom for the Brave movement. Abdel Fattah and Seif were arrested for protesting under the controversial Protest Law, the movement said on its Facebook page. Activist Mona Seif joined her mother's stance, with both also being on hunger strike for the past 56 days. Citing eyewitness accounts, Freedom for the Brave said security forces prevented other activists from joining them. Two days ago, the pair escalated their hunger strike, refusing to drink water after Sanaa Seif was handed a three year prison sentence and ordered to pay an EGP 10,000 fine. They have officially informed the general prosecutor of their decision. On Sunday, 21 others received the same sentence as Abdel Fattah and Seif for protesting outside the Itihadiya Palace in late June. They were protesting against the imprisonment of Abdel Fattah and others earlier that month also under the Protest Law. The activists were convicted with violating the Protest Law and the use of violence with the aim of terrorising citizens. Abdel Fattah and 24 other defendants were sentenced in absentia to 15 years, handed an EGP 100,000 fine and put under surveillance for a period of five years. They were found guilty of violating the Protest Law, and were later granted a retrial. Abdel Fattah and the others were released last month on bail. On Monday, the criminal court ordered the arrest of Abdel Fattah, setting 11 November for his re-trial. The controversial Protest Law was issued by the interim government in November 2013, coming at a time of frequent clashes between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and security forces. Since the law was enacted, it has been used to build several cases against students and activists on charges of "illegal assembly".
