Egyptian Military Government Jails Activist

Amr Abdallah ElBihiry has been sentenced to five years in a military prison for participating in a peaceful demonstration Saturday.

This is not the kind of justice Egypt’s reformers had in mind when they forced Hosni Mubarak to resign. ElBihiry was arrested after being involved in a clash with the armed forces at a rally Saturday demanding the resignation of Mubarak-appointed prime minister Ahmed Shafiq. Shafiq has since stepped down but ElBihiry has been found guilty in a swift military trial in a move that observers worry could be a sign the interim military government is no more committed to democracy than the Mubarak regime that it replaced. Witnesses said ElBihiry was badly beaten by members of the armed forces Saturday and those who were there with him denied the military’s claim that he was carrying a pistol.