The Misdemeanours Court in Boulaq El-Dakrour sentenced Thursday ten defendants to three years in prison and a fine of EGP 100,000 on charges of illicit protests, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) reported. ANHRI said that the protests in question are the ones held on 25 April, in objection to the Red Sea islands maritime border demarcation. There are several similar cases, as security forces detained hundreds of youth that day. Moreover, the Front to Defend Protesters stated that all defendants had not been detained, with the exception of political activist and member of Al-Dostour Party Hamdy Qeshta. However, they were put on trial in different courts and received different verdicts, while others were acquitted. The demarcation deal was signed between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on 8 April, raising much local controversy. As some lawyers challenged the agreement in court, a first verdict by the State Council on 21 June annulled it, stating that the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir were Egyptian lands, not Saudi Arabian. This was followed by calls from human rights defenders to release all those detained on charges of protesting for the return of the islands to Egypt, on grounds that they had not been spreading rumours as accused by the government.
