Romani Mourad, a Coptic Christian lawyer, was sentenced on June 1 to one year in prison in absentia and fined 10,000 pounds, also for insulting Islam and the Koran. Two days later, several human-rights groups issued a statement condemning “the rise in numbers of cases” where Copts stood accused of insulting religion. These “strongly indicate that such cases have become a weapon for religious discrimination and oppression of religious minorities, the groups said.
Egypt’s constitution, approved in a December referendum, has sparked a wave of criticism from activists and human rights groups, arguing the charter fails to protect human rights. Article 44 in the constitution prohibits insulting any prophet.
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By Salma El Wardany – Bloomberg