Egyptian authorities re-arrest leading rights activist

A prominent Egyptian pro-democracy activist who was released on probation earlier this year has been re-arrested in Cairo, his family says.

Alaa Abdel Fattah’s family said he was detained as he was preparing to leave a police station in the capital on Sunday morning.

“I arrived at the police station and I found the place where he spends the probation empty. I asked them where Alaa was... The chief detective came out and told me that Alaa is at the national security prosecution,” media outlets quoted his sister, Mona, as saying.

Abdel Fattah, a blogger and software engineer, was released in March after serving a five-year sentence for taking part in a peaceful protest against military trials for civilians. Under the terms of his release, authorities required the activist to report to the police station and spend every night there for the next five years.

Security sources said Abdel Fattah had been taken for an investigation over accusations of publishing false news and inciting people to protest.

Mohamed al-Baqer, a lawyer representing the activist, was also detained late on Sunday while waiting for the interrogation of his client to start at the national security prosecutor’s office.

Another lawyer, Amr Imam, who witnessed the incident, said, “This is a blatant violation against lawyers. Lawyers are immune while working, just like judges and prosecutors. As a lawyer, I am afraid about getting arrested right now.”

An influential blogger, Abdel Fattah hails from a family of political activists, lawyers, and writers. He was a leading voice among the youths who initially led the 2011 uprising that ended the 30-year rule of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Security forces in Egypt have recently boosted their presence across the country, amid calls for protests against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi over corruption allegations.

PressTV-Egypt tightens security amid calls for anti-Sisi protests

Security forces in Egypt boost their presence across the country, amid calls for protests against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi over corruption allegations.

Egypt was rocked by unusual demonstrations on September 20 following calls for protests that were made after allegations of corruption against Sisi and the country’s powerful military were made by the self-exiled contractor and actor Mohamed Ali.

Since the protests last Friday, Egyptian authorities have arrested nearly 2,000 people, including prominent writers, activists, and opposition figures, according to rights monitors.

The Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists urged the release of those “detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms.” Human Rights Watch has also urged the Egyptian authorities to “protect the right to peaceful protest.”

Sisi has long been facing international condemnation for a crackdown on civil society groups since he took power in 2014, a year after a military coup spearheaded by him toppled the country’s first ever democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi.

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