Egyptian activist sentenced to prison by special court

An Egyptian activist who played a central role in Egypt's uprising in 2011 was sentenced on Monday to five years in jail by a special court in Cairo.

Alaa Abdel Fattah was found guilty of "spreading false information" according to the defendents sister.

Two other activists were also sentenced to four years in prison on the same charges.

Described as an "icon of the 2011 revolution" that ousted President Hosni Mubarak from power, Alaa Abdel Fattah has already been convicted several times.

He was imprisoned under Hosni Mubarak (1981-2011), his Islamist successor Mohamed Morsi (2012-2013) and the current head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sissi.

Alaa Abdel Fattah is a political activist and computer programmer. He was arrested in 2013 after an unauthorised demonstration.

Since 2013 he has spent a total of seven years behind bars.