Ahmed Douma Given Life Sentence and Fined $2.2 Million

Prominent Egyptian activist and blogger Ahmed Douma and 229 others have just been sentenced to life in prison and fined LE17million for their involvement in the December 2011 cabinet clashes case.

A member of the Egyptian Popular Current party, Ahmed Douma was arrested under each consecutive government in recent years. The December 2011 cabinet clashes occurred after a sit-in at the cabinet headquarters, protesting the appointment of Kamal El-Ganzoury as prime minister by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), resulted in four days of deadly violence.

Douma was left to defend himself at Wednesday’trial, after lawyer Khaled Ali and his defense team dropped out of the case following arguments with the Judge Nagy Shehata.

“If you will sentence me, I request an investigation into the killing of Sheikh Emad Effat, Ahmed Abdel Hady, and anyone else killed during the incident of the cabinet clashes,” Douma asked of the court. Shehata’s reply asked Douma if he was their lawyer, according to Nada Saad Eldin, a lawyer observing the trial quoted by the Daily News Egypt.

This is not the only sentence Douma will be serving as he was sentenced alongside activists Ahmed Maher, and Mohamed Adel to a three-year jail term for violating the newly formed Protest Law and allegedly assaulting an officer at the Abdeen Courthouse in Downtown Cairo in January.