Egypt denies appeal of prominent economist sentenced to 5 years

In this June 19, 2019 file photo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi speaks during a press conference in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

An Egyptian court denied on Thursday the appeal of a prominent economist seeking to overturn his five-year prison sentence for disseminating “fake news”, according to one of his lawyers.

Economist Abdel Khalek Farouk, 68, was arrested at his home in October 2024 after writing a series of articles criticizing Egypt’s economic policy, and was sentenced to five years behind bars a year later.

Human rights lawyer Nabeh Elganadi, a member of his defence team, wrote on social media that the sentence was upheld.

The charge of “spreading fake news” is regularly levelled against Egyptian dissidents, including activists, journalists and academics, as well as everyday social media users.

Human Rights Watch had called for authorities to quash Farouk’s sentence, saying it “reflects the dangerous level of repression in Egypt today, casting economic research and intellectual debate as criminal acts”.

Egyptian rights organizations have said Farouk was denied his right to a fair trial and has been mistreated behind bars, including being denied adequate medical care and access to sunlight.

The denial of his appeal came the same day that foreign minister Badr Abdelatty praised Egypt’s “progress on human rights”.

Authorities have in recent years released a number of high-profile dissidents, including prominent activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, but many have found themselves behind bars once more.

According to rights groups, more political prisoners have been newly detained than released since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reactivated a presidential pardoning committee in 2022.

Egypt has also been criticized for a sweeping crackdown on online content creators that has landed young women influencers, comedians and commentators behind bars.

Last month, two TikTok users were detained after posting a video testing various bottled water brands for contaminants.