Haram Misdemeanour Appeals Court will consider an appeal by popular Egyptian comedian Adel Imam against a three-month sentence he received for committing blasphemy against Islam on 4 July.
A first instance court convicted Adel Imam in absentia of the charges and imposed a bail of LE1,000, which his defense lawyers paid on Monday while submitting an appeals petition at the court.
The defense petition said the verdict was marred with numerous legal irregularities, and added that the court ignored several points made by the defense lawyers.
Asran Mansour, a lawyer with ties to Islamist groups, brought the case against Imam, accusing him of insulting Islam in his movies by mocking orthodox Muslims.
The legal action against Imam had aroused concern among rights groups and artists about the future of freedom of expression in post-revolution Egypt, where Islamist groups enjoy a parliamentary majority.
Edited Translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
