Egypt Sentences Commentator Abdel Khaleq Farouk to 5 Years in Prison

Washington, D.C. — The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled by the five-year prison sentence handed down to Egyptian economic commentator Abdel Khaleq Farouk, convicted of joining a terrorist organization, spreading false information, and misusing social media over articles critical of Egypt’s economic policies.

Lawyer Nabih Al-Janadi, a member of Farouk’s defense team, told CPJ that the proceedings “lacked all the guarantees of a fair trial and did not allow the defendant the right to…