Fouad, a reporter for the news website Karmoz, was arrested while covering a demonstration by members of the Muslim Brotherhood in the neighborhood of Sidi Beshr in Alexandria governorate, according to his employer and local press freedom groups. The protest led to violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Fouad was charged with “joining a group that aims to disrupt the law,” “demonstrating without permission,” “blocking a road,” and “possessing a weapon,” according to news reports, and was tried in an Alexandria criminal court along with nine other defendants. His trial, initially scheduled to begin in December 2014, was postponed at least six times due to the prison authorities’ failure to transfer Fouad and the other defendants to court on time, according to reports citing Fouad’s lawyer and family.
On June 14, 2016, the court found Fouad guilty of all charges and sentenced him to 3 years in prison, 3 years of parole, and a fine of 100,000 Egyptian pounds (US $5,850), according to news reports and local press freedom groups. Fouad lost an appeal of the sentence on November 8, 2016.
It is not clear whether the time the journalist spent in pre-trial detention will count towards his prison sentence.
Karmoz denied the allegations against Fouad and said he was doing journalistic work at the time of his arrest. The website covers local news and politics in Alexandria.
Fouad is also a college student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in sciences at the University of Alexandria. He has been able to take exams for each of the semesters that have passed since his arrest, according to news reports. He is being held in Burj al Arab prison in Alexandria.