US assails conviction of Mubarak rival

Nour was sentenced to five years in prison, capping a monthslong legal process that generated widespread international criticism and strained Egypt's relations with Washington, an ally that is pressing for democratic reforms here and elsewhere in the Middle East.

"The conviction of Mr. Nour, the runner-up in Egypt's 2005 presidential elections, calls into question Egypt's commitment to democracy, freedom, and the rule of law," the White House said in a statement.

Expressing concern about reports that Nour's health has suffered from a hunger strike, the White House urged President Hosni Mubarak's government to release Nour "in the spirit of its professed desire for increased political openness and dialogue within Egyptian society."

Nour, who finished a distant second to Mubarak in Egypt's first contested presidential election Sept. 7, had pleaded innocent to ordering forgeries of signatures on the petition used to register his Al-Ghad political party.

The guilty verdict provoked an uproar from hundreds of supporters in and around the courtroom, with some outside in the street crying when they heard it.

"God is great!" Nour and his wife, Gamila Ismail, shouted immediately.

Chief defence counsel Amir Salem cried: "This is a political verdict that will be annulled by the appeals court! This verdict will go into the dustbin of history!"

Judge Abdel Salam Gomaa gave no explanation of his findings before leaving the court, but he later released a judgment rejecting claims that the trial was politically motivated.