 Talaat Sadat was stripped of his immunity as an MP |
A military court in Egypt has jailed a nephew of the assassinated President Anwar Sadat on charges of insulting the army and spreading disinformation. Opposition MP Talaat Sadat was sent to prison for a year after he alleged in a TV interview that the armed forces were complicit in his uncle's murder.
Mr Sadat said he had been prosecuted because he opposed the government.
An Islamic militant was convicted and executed for the 1981 assassination of President Sadat.
Egypt's ally, the US, had expressed concern that the case was a violation of freedom of speech.
"The keystone of a democratic society is the right of free speech, including to criticise one's government, and that extends to the military," said spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos.
Mr Sadat's prosecution came after he was stripped of his immunity as an MP.
His imprisonment follows the jailing of leading opposition leader Ayman Nour in December 2005 on charges of forging political documents.
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