He became a symbol of the uprising during the Arab Spring, and the opposition to dictator Hosny Mubarak.

Blogger and programmer Alaa Abdel Fattah was a mobilizing force during the Egyptian revolution but has spent seven of the last ten years in prison.

When I met him seven years ago, he said he would probably not see his then three-year-old son grow up because he expected a series of long prison sentences.

So far, it looks like he got it right.

5 years in prison for a retweet

He was sentenced on Monday for spreading false news for retweeting a tweet about an Egyptian prisoner who, according to the tweet, died of torture.

The court sentenced Alaa Abdel Fattah to five years in prison.

Since 2019, he has been detained under extremely strict conditions.

According to family members, he is not allowed to read books or newspapers in prison, nor is he allowed to listen to the radio or watch television - and he is prevented from communicating with the family.

His sister is the activist Mona Seif, his mother the mathematician and activist Laila Soueif.

According to the mother, Alaa Abdel Fattah should have got the impression that he will never be free again.

Through his lawyer, he has conveyed that he has suicidal thoughts.

Wave of trials

Right now, a wave of verdicts against activists in Egypt is expected.

According to the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, 48 "unjustly imprisoned human rights defenders, activists and opposition politicians who have been illegally detained for months and years" have been urgently brought to justice. 

The reason for the large number of trials against activists right now is that the Egyptian president lifted the long-standing state of emergency in the country during the autumn. 

Criticized violations of human rights

During Joe Biden's presidency, Egypt - which receives a large amount of military assistance from the United States - has been criticized for the oppression of human rights in the country.

On October 25 this year, el-Sisi said that "Egypt has become an oasis of security and stability in the region" and that he therefore decided not to extend the state of emergency in the country in recent years. 

The fact that the detainees were so hastily brought to justice is a sign that the government wanted to use the stricter emergency laws against them before that possibility disappears, according to Human Rights Watch.

Thousands of political prisoners

Since 2013, when Army Chief of Staff Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ousted then-President Mohamed Mursi, thousands of activists and opposition figures have been imprisoned in Egypt. 

Sisi, who was elected president in 2014, denies that there are political prisoners in the country.

In the last election, he received 98 percent of the vote, and the constitution has been rewritten so that he can remain in office until 2030.