Egypt jails 13 police for taking part in protest

CAIRO – An Egyptian court has sentenced 13 policemen to between three and five years in prison for taking part in a 2015 strike demanding higher pay and better working conditions.

Eleven were sentenced to three years in prison and two were sentenced to five on charges of illegal assembly, inciting against the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of law enforcement, and belonging to an outlawed group.

The Cairo Criminal Court’s verdict on Saturday was reported by the state-run Al-Ahram website. The verdict can be appealed.

In 2015, hundreds of policemen went on strike in the northeastern province of Sharqiya.

Egypt outlawed all unauthorized protests in 2013, after the military overthrew an elected Islamist president amid mass protests calling for his resignation.