Opposition leader in Egypt jailed for 5 years

EGYPT: An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced Ayman Nour, a leading opposition figure, to five years imprisonment for forging 1,000 signatures on the application for registering his Ghad party.

The jailing of Nour, who came second to incumbent Hosni Mubarak in the September presidential poll, was seen by Egyptian and foreign observers as a bid to suppress dissent.

Although Nour won only 8 per cent of the popular vote against 89 per cent for for Mr Mubarak, the high-profile candidacy of a challenger was seen as pressure to reform and democratise.

Egyptian human rights groups have condemned the sentence. A Ghad party press release stated: "Throughout Nour's trial, the judge showed a hostile attitude toward Nour and his defence team, denying most of their motions and allowing slander of Ayman Nour."

In 2002 the presiding judge, Abdel Salam Gomaa, imprisoned another prominent critic of the regime, sociologist Dr Saadeddin Ibrahim. Dr Ibrahim was charged with taking funding from foreign donors and damaging Egypt's reputation abroad.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Washington was "deeply troubled" by Nour's jailing and called for his release.

The sentencing is an embarrassment to Washington, which has touted Egypt's presidential and parliamentary polls as respectable democratic consultations in the largely autocratic Middle East.