Detainees arrested in anti-Mubark demonstrations released
Egypt, Politics, 3/31/2005

The Egyptian authorities released on Wednesday evening 25 demonstrators arrested during confrontations by force to prevent demonstrations organized by the "Kefaya" ( enough) movement demanding the introduction of democratic reforms.

The coordinator of the "Egyptian movement for the sake of change - Kefaya " George Ishaq said that all activists of the movement arrested during the police ban of demonstrations against President Mubarak in Cairo, Alexandria and al-Mansoura were released.

The riot fighting forces were intensively deployed since Wednesday morning in the three main Egyptian cities especially in Cairo where they positioned in the surrounding of the government's buildings and the American and British embassies.

The authorities deployed the police forces on all cross-roads and in the main squares of the capital and isolated them from each other. Kefaya movement decided to transfer the place of its demonstration in Cairo from in front of the People's Assembly ( parliament) to the headquarters of the Journalists Union after the police asked the demonstrators to disperse threatening to detain them.

During their limited demonstration towards the headquarters of the journalists Union, the demonstrators chanted slogans against the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, demanding him to quit the authority.

In Alexandria, the security forces prevented the movement from running its demonstration and detained 22 activists in the movement. This, however, coincided with a demonstration of support for the Egyptian president by hundreds of the supporters of the ruling democratic national party.

The spokesman for Kefaya, Abdul Halim Qindil, said that among the main detained persons were Mahdi Abbas, Rabee Idris, Mahmoud al-Roubi and Bilah Hamid, adding that despite these acts of detention some 400 persons took part in the demonstration.

The scenario of preventing Kefaya demonstration was repeated in al-Mansoura. Qindil said that the authorities launched a campaign of detention today, Thursday, at dawn in the city and arrested leading figures in the movement Ibrahim al-Saleh and activist Abdul Miguid Rashed, noting that despite that, 250 persons took part in a limited demonstration.

For his part, the director of Cairo security department described these demonstration as illegal and unlicensed. In retaliation to the campaign of demonstration, the Egyptian ministry of interior announced that the authorities will not be tolerant of such demonstrations.

Since December 2004, "Kefaya" organized a number of demonstrations in Egypt demanding the end to extensions of President Mubarak's term of office who has been in power since 24 years and it is expected on a large scale he will nominate himself for a fifth term of office of 6 year term of office.

After Mubarak's announcement in February, article 76 of the Egyptian constitution was amended in a way that permits electing the president of the country by direct free vote between more than one candidate. The demonstrations of opposition in Egypt concentrated on demanding a genuine constitutional change which removes the restrictions, imposed on candidates in the election process for the post of the President, that favors keeping the status quo.

Previous Stories:
  Iran summons the Egyptian charge de affairs   (3/30/2005)
  Scores of Muslim Brothers detained in Cairo during demonstrations   (3/28/2005)
  Cairo- demonstration against Mubarak   (3/15/2005)
  Egypt: Ayman Nour supporters escalate moves   (3/7/2005)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search