An Egyptian court sentenced a former provincial governor to four years in jail, judicial sources said on Thursday, for violating a law used to jail hundreds of Islamist and secular activists in the last 18 months.
Hassan El-Nagar, a former judge, was appointed governor of the Nile Delta province of Sharqiya in 2012 by Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, who was ousted by the army in mid-2013 following protests.
He is considered the highest government official tried under the protest law passed a few months after Mursi's overthrow and outlaws demonstrations without prior police approval.
The law has been used to tightly restrict protests – the tactic Egyptians used to topple autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and express discontent with Mursi – and prompted criticism from abroad, including from Cairo's close ally, the United States.
Nagar left office following Mursi's removal and was arrested last month at a protest by alleged supporters of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood in the Cairo district of Nasr City, a statement from the public prosecutor said.
He was also fined 50,000 Egyptian pounds ($6,553), the sources said. The ruling can be appealed.
