An Egyptian court has sentenced 230 people, including one of the leading activists behind the 2011 uprising, to life in prison after finding them guilty of taking part in clashes between protesters and security forces, the Guardian reports.

Among the 230 was the secular activist Ahmed Douma, who is already serving a three-year-sentence for breaking a draconian law regulating protests. It is the heaviest sentence yet against those who spearheaded the mass protests four years ago that forced Hosni Mubarak to step down.

The case is connected to clashes in central Cairo in December 2011 during which a fire gutted parts of a library housing rare manuscripts and books.