Egypt freezes assets of leading rights campaigners

FILE -- This Dec. 7, 2011 photo, shows Hossam Bahgat in his office at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights in Garden City, Cairo, Egypt. An Egyptian court on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 upheld a decision to freeze the assets of several prominent human rights campaigners in the latest blow to a once-vibrant activist community that has been largely silenced by a government crackdown. The five activists named in the court ruling include Gamal Eid and Bahey eldin Hassan, who head two well-known human rights organizations, as well as investigative reporter Hossam Bahgat, also the founder of a rights group. The other two are Mustafa el-Hassan and Abdel-Hafiz Tayel. (Sarah Rafea via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

CAIRO – An Egyptian court has upheld a decision to freeze the assets of several prominent human rights campaigners.

Saturday's ruling by a Cairo court comes amid a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent launched after the 2013 military ouster of an elected Islamist president. Authorities have jailed thousands of people, mainly Islamists but also leading secular and liberal activists.

The five activists named in the court ruling include Gamal Eid and Bahey eldin Hassan, who head two well-known human rights organizations, as well as investigative reporter Hossam Bahgat, also the founder of a rights group.

They face charges of illegally receiving foreign funds and using them to harm national security. They are part of a wider case against rights groups in Egypt. If convicted, they could face up to 25 years in prison.