An Egyptian appeals court has upheld prison sentences against three of the country's most prominent political activists.
The court also ruled on Monday that each would be fined 50,000 Egyptian pounds (about $7,140).
The activists, Ahmed Maher, Mohamed Adel and Ahmed Douma, were accused of violating a controversial law on holding street protests.
They had been sentenced to three years in prison last December. The ruling is said to be part of a wider crackdown, which has led to the death and jailing of protesters since the military ouster of former president, Mohamed Morsi, last July.
The three activists were the founders of the April 6 Youth Movement, which was at the forefront of 2011 protests that led to a popular revolt against the long-time dictator, Hosni Mubarak.
The group later joined the opposition, protesting against the heavy-handed crackdown by security forces under the current military-backed government.
Meanwhile, thousands of young Egyptians from the April 6 Youth Movement have held a rally to mark the establishment of the movement. They also called for the release of the prisoners arrested after the ouster of Morsi last July.
In November, the military-backed authorities passed a law banning all but police-sanctioned protests. Since then, hundreds of anti-government protesters have been jailed for breaking the law.
Figures show Egypt’s military-backed government has jailed nearly 16,000 people over the past few months.
