The nephew of Egypt's late President Anwar Sadat was sentenced to a year in prison Tuesday for defaming Egypt's armed forces, after saying in an interview that Egyptian generals had masterminded his uncle's assassination.
A member of parliament, 52-year-old Talaat Sadat had accused the government of prosecuting him for political reasons. His trial has been fast as his remarks were broadcast on Oct. 4.
Sadat was taken into custody immediately after the verdict, said his aide, Mohsen Eid, according to the AP.
Within minutes of his sentencing, Sadat's supporters shouted outside the court: "This is injustice!" "This is unlawful!" Media were not allowed into the courtroom.
Sadat had pleaded innocent to charges of "spreading false rumors and insulting the armed forces." In interview with a Saudi TV channel, he said there had been an international conspiracy behind his uncle's assassination, and the conspirators included some of Anwar Sadat's personal guards, Egyptian generals, as well as the U.S. and Israel.
"No one from the special personal protection group of the late president fired a single shot during the killing, and not one of them has been put on trial," Sadat told Orbit television. The day after the broadcast, Sadat was stripped of his parliamentary immunity.
President Sadat was shot dead during a military parade in Cairo on Oct. 6, 1981.
