The Egyptian author Ahmed Naji has been given a two-year prison sentence for “violating public modesty” after publishing a book with references to sex and drugs.
Ramy Yaacoub, a political analyst and friend of the defendant, tweeted a picture of Naji bowing his head in the darkened courtroom as his case was fought. The ruling was initially overturned in January, but after an appeal by the prosecution the case returned to court and Naji was given the maximum possible sentence on Saturday.
An Egyptian citizen brought charges against the author after an except of his novel The Guide for Using Life was published in the magazine Akhbar al-Adab.