CAIRO, Mar 26 (Aswat Masriya) – A Giza court upheld on Saturday an eight-year prison sentence handed to Magdy Hussein, the editor-in-chief of al-Shaab newspaper on accusations of promoting extremist ideologies, harming national unity and social peace.

Hussein, a vocal supporter of former president Mohamed Mursi, was arrested in July 2014. At the time he had already been sentenced to prison in absentia.

He was a leading figure in a pro-Mursi alliance that was formed following the military ouster of Mursi in July 2013.

The alliance wants Mursi to go back to power. Egypt banned the alliance and its activities in late 2014.

He was handed a five-year sentence for exploiting religion by promoting extremist ideas and broadcasting false news aimed to disturb the public peace and handed three years for harming national unity and social peace.

Since Mursi's ouster, Egypt has led a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood figures and their supporters. The Brotherhood was designated "a terrorist organisation" in Dec. 2013 and Egypt insists the group is behind the wave of militancy that has plagued Egypt since mid-2013.

The Brotherhood continues to deny the accusation.