An Egyptian court has sentenced 230 people, including a prominent activist of the 2011 uprising against President Hosni Mubarak, to life in prison, judicial sources have told Reuters news agency.

Thirty-nine other defendants, all minors, were sentenced to 10 years in prison following the hearing on Wednesday.

All 269 defendants were found guilty of taking part in clashes with security forces near Cairo's Tahrir Square in December 2011, the sources said.

The defendants include Ahmed Douma, a leading figure in the pro-democracy movement. He was accused and convicted of rioting and inciting violence.

Like several other prominent activists well-known in Egypt for their roles in the 2011 uprising, Douma has been jailed by every Egyptian leader since Mubarak: the military council, Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, and former army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who went on to become president.

Wednesday's ruling also imposed a fine of $2 million on Douma.

The tough punishment came although Douma was a major opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood and backed the July 3, 2013 military coup, which led to Sisi's presidency.

His case is seen as a key example of how Sisi is failing to tolerate critical voices.

In January, a separate court handed down a three-year jail term for Douma and activists Ahmed Maher and Mohamed Adel.