Egypt jails high-profile political activist after others released

FILE PHOTO: Hisham Kassem, a former newspaper publisher and political activist, speaks during an interview with Reuters TV at his family's cemetery, which is planned to be demolished, across The City of the Dead, where a new construction project is underway on the Salah Salem road, in the capital city of Cairo, Egypt, June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Fahmy/File Photo

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian authorities transferred prominent publisher and political activist Hisham Kassem to a prison on Wednesday awaiting trial on slander and verbal assault charges, his lawyer told Reuters.

Kassem is a leader of al-Tayar al-Hurr, or Free Current, a liberal group formed in June in opposition to the government of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who is expected to run for a third term by early 2024.