Egyptian opposition politician and former presidential candidate, Ahmed al-Tantawi, is standing trial with 22 members of his presidential campaign, human rights defender, Hossam Bahgat, said on Tuesday.
They were accused of printing and soliciting unofficial paperwork to support al-Tantawi, Bahgat added on X.
Al-Tantawi, his campaign manager and 21 other campaign members were referred to trial before the court session was adjourned until November 28, according to Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights group.
Al-Tantawi was said to have failed to collect the endorsements needed to register for the presidential elections, to be held over three days from December 10 to 12.
However, candidates were required to provide official endorsements by either 20 lawmakers or 25,000 eligible voters to qualify for running.
In October, al-Tantawi accused the authorities and loyalists of current president Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi of obstructing his supporters and arresting members of his campaign.
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After failing to collect the needed endorsements, al-Tantawi’s campaign asked people to write unofficial endorsements to pressure the electoral commission and authorities.
Al-Sissi first took office in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018.
He is widely expected to win a third term.
Besides al-Sissi, three other candidates registered to run for office.
The final list is due to be announced on November 9.
In 2013, the army, led by al-Sissi, deposed Egypt’s democratically elected but divisive Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.
Egypt has since seen a crackdown on freedom of expression, with hundreds of secular activists and Islamists imprisoned or forced into exile, which has triggered an outcry from human rights advocates.
In recent months, the government had released dozens of detained dissidents.
dpa/NAN.