Egypt journalists' union head gets two-year jail term Published duration 19 November 2016

image copyright AFP/Getty Images image caption Yehia Qallash took part in protests outside the union's headquarters in Cairo earlier this year

The head of the journalists' union in Egypt and his two colleagues have been sentenced to two years in prison for "harbouring fugitives".

A court in Cairo also allowed Yehia Qallash and board members Gamal Abdel Rahim and Khaled al-Balshy to pay a $630-bail (£510) pending an appeal.

In May, police raided the union's headquarters in the capital, arresting two opposition journalists.

The two had sought shelter in the building from arrest warrants.

Critics of President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi have condemned the transfer of the islands as unconstitutional and lacking in transparency.

Dozens of Egyptian and foreign journalists were briefly detained or arrested earlier this year while covering protests over Mr Sisi's decision.