Breaking: Max's Killers Sentenced to Three Years in Jail

What we hope is news and not just rumours spreading on social media platforms, come claims that the three criminals who tortured and slaughtered Max, the beloved dog that sparked a protest weeks ago, have been sentenced to three years in Jail.

The first surfaced tweet about the sentence comes via prominent lawyer Ehab Makram.

This post was shared by leading animal rights activist Dina Zulfikar, and has been written about on Tahrir News website. According to Tahrir News, the court has sentenced the three suspects (Mohamed Hamdi Mohamed, Amr Ibrahim Atta and Ahmed Ezzat Abdel Hamid) to three years in prison with hard labour for breaking the animal law and spreading fear amongst citizens. Additionally the court also sentenced Max’s owner, Nader Mohamed Yehia, to the same sentence, however Yehia's sentence was passed in absentia, he remains at large. Investigating the matter further, Tahrir News claims that the incident all started when Yehia attempted to rob a store, and when an employee tried to stop him was bitten by Max. The men agreed not to file a police report in exchange for Yehia giving up his loyal dog to be killed.

What makes this sentence a historic precedent is the fact that the penal code states the maximum punishment for killing or torturing an animal without just cause is a 200LE fine or six months in prison. By sentencing these three men to three years in jail means the court has established a new legal precedence, that can be referenced in future trials or has perhaps found them guilty of petty crimes that come with a maximum three year sentence.

As always in Egypt, one remains skeptical, however the news of a harsher punishment could have been the result of pressure from animal activists who organised a protest to demand an end to animal violence and stricter punishments. We can’t confirm exactly what the charges specifically are, but nevertheless, this sentence provides a new avenue for lawyers looking to pursue harsher punishments against animal abusers. Obviously many activists will claim that perhaps it still isn’t strict enough, however it still comes as a sign that Egypt is taking the steps  in right direction in terms of aimal rights.

Photo courtesy of ElFagr.org