Former Egyptian provincial governor jailed for protesting

Hassan El-Nagar considered highest government official tried under protest law

File image showing supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi attending a rally in Cairo, Egypt. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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.

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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 (€6,150), the sources said. The ruling can be appealed.