CAIRO, April 7 (Awat Masriya) Dozens of activists began a sit-in in Cairo on Monday protesting a court decision against three activists for violating the protest law, a wife of one of them told Aswat Masriya.

Norhan Hefzi said that a number of female politicians and activists are going to join the sit-in at the presidential palace, including Dostour Party Chairwoman Hala Shukrallah and Shahenda Maqled.

Douma's wife demanded the abolishment of the protest law and a presidential pardon for those arrested on charges of violating it.

The protest law, adopted in November, mandates that protesters give the authorities three days notice of any public gathering and notify them of the purpose of the gathering and the slogans that are to be chanted in it.

Hefzi said the court's verdict was "polticised and based upon the activists' stance on the state," comparing it to a verdict that came two days earlier clearing defendants who were also accused of violating the protest law during the third anniversary of the January uprising.

Douma, Ahmed Maher and Mohamed Adel, were arrested and sentenced to three years in prison for protesting without permission and assaulting the police.

Douma rose as a prominent activist in the past three years while Maher and Adel are both members of the April 6 movement that played a significant role before and during the January 25 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.