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Activists arrested in Egypt ahead of revolution anniversary Activists detained in Egypt ahead of uprising anniversary
(about 2 hours later)
CAIRO — Egyptian authorities are rounding up activists two weeks before the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 25 uprising which led to the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak. CAIRO — Egyptian authorities are rounding up activists ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 25 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak and have detained at least five people this week.
According to lawyer Mukhtar Munair, three activists including prominent physician Taher Mokhtar were detained after police raided their apartment in downtown Cairo on Thursday. Omar Hazek, a poet, was briefly detained and banned from leaving the country, a relative said in a Facebook posting. The managing editor of a privately owned news site called Masr al-Arabia was also detained after security forces raided their office on Thursday, according to a statement from the site. Among those detained were three activists, including prominent physician Taher Mokhtar, who were detained in police raids at their apartments in downtown Cairo on Thursday, according to lawyer Mukhtar Munair.
Egypt has launched an extensive crackdown on Islamists and secular activists alike since the 2013 military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. A forth person, poet Omar Hazek, was detained and quickly released but banned from leaving the country, according to a Facebook posting.
Also, managing editor of the privately owned Masr al-Arabia news website, Ahmed Abdel-Gawad, was detained after security forces raided its office on Thursday, according to a statement from the outlet. He was released on Friday, a second statement said.
The detentions are the latest in what has been a persistent and extensive crackdown on Islamists and secular activists alike, launched after the military’s 2013 ouster of Mubarak’s successor, Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
The Egyptian government labeled Morsi’s group, the Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organization. Thousands of Brotherhood members have been sentenced to death or life imprisonment while others are standing trials or detained without formal charges.
As in the past years, Egyptian authorities fear mass protests on the anniversary of the anti-Mubarak uprising and former army chief-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi warned such protests could result in chaos.
In addition to the crackdown on activists, authorities have raided arts venues and galleries popular among youth activists.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.