Release of 6 Muslim Brotherhood leaders

Informed sources told ArabicNews.com that the Egyptian authorities are preparing to release 6 of the Muslim Brotherhood's leaders, who served 3 years in prison as per rules issued by military court.

The sources said the 6 are the secretary general for the doctors syndicate, Dr. Ibrahim El-Zafarani, Ahmed Farag, Rezek Rashid, Mohammed Wahdan, Mohammed Baoumi El-Kasaby, and they were accused in a case involving one of the group's leaders, Dr. Esam El-Erian, who is also spending 3 years in prison.

The Egyptian security bodies arrested Esam El-Erian and another 27 of the group's members on January 22, 1995.

They were accused of forming a secret group aimed at toppling Egypt's ruling system by force, of planning operations tthat would violate the law and the constitution encouraging hatred of the ruling system.

Spokesman for the group Mahmoud Hadibi urged the government to set free some 70 members of his group who are still in Egyptian prisons.