Qasr al-Nil prosecution: 61 people detained for 'inciting protests'

Thursday 28-04-2016 AM 11:59
Qasr al-Nil prosecution: 61 people detained for 'inciting protests'

Protest at Messaha Square in Dokki, Giza on Apr. 25, 2016. Aswat Masriya

 

CAIRO, Apr 28 (Aswat Masriya) - The Qasr al-Nil prosecution decided on Thursday to detain a total of 61 people for four days pending investigations on charges which include "inciting protests."

The detainees, who had been arrested on Apr. 25, stood in front of the prosecution separately, in groups of 33 and 28 consecutively. Both groups were detained on the same charges.

The charges include, "inciting the use of force to overthrow the ruling regime, inciting attacks on police stations, using violence and threats to keep the president from working on the duties constitutionally assigned to him, joining a terrorist organization with the purpose of obstructing laws, preventing authorities from exercising their work, and harming public peace."

The detainees were also charged with 'inciting protests.'

A security source previously told Aswat Masriya that police arrested 270 protesters from Cairo and Giza on Monday Apr. 25, which coincided with Sinai National Liberation day.

 

Various political groups and movements held short marches in Cairo and Giza against the Saudi-Egypt border demarcation agreement, which stipulates that two disputed Red Sea islands, Tiran and Sanafir, are part of Saudi territorial waters.

On Apr 15, thousands of protesters gathered in front of the press syndicate under the slogan "Friday of the land" to protest against what they considered "the sale of Egypt." By the end of the day, protesters announced their plans to demonstrate again on Apr. 25.

The agreement, which has yet to be ratified by the parliament, has provoked public ire in Egypt and has come under heavy scrutiny by many Egyptians who argue that the islands are Egyptian territory.

The islands are located at the mouth of the Gulf of al-Aqaba and are strategically significant as they both control maritime activity in the gulf.

A few days prior to Apr. 25, security forces launched a series of raids on downtown Cairo’s cafés and arrested at least 40 people, some of whom remain in detention while others are under investigation.

 

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