Activist and blogger Alaa Abdel-Fattah (Photo: Ahram archives)
A civil court on Tuesday has renewed the detention of 28 defendants, including blogger and activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, for 15 days over their alleged role in October’s Maspero clashes.
Egyptian and international activists have been demanding the release of Abdel-Fattah, who was arrested on a variety of charges including stealing a military weapon, destroying military property and attacking security forces.
Protesters and rights groups have called on authorities for weeks to charge a civil public prosecution, not the army or exceptional courts, with the task of investigating the Alaa's case and the violence that took place at Maspero.
The ruling military council, bowing to public pressure, had recently transferred Abdel-Fattah's case from military courts to State Security courts; and his file was finally referred to a civil court on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Administrative Court has recently ruled that the 30-year-old blogger, who has not been convicted of any crimes so far, should be permitted to vote in the second phase of the ongoing parliamentary elections, which started on Wednesday.
At least 27 civilians were killed and hundreds injured during the bloody clashes between military forces and Coptic Christian protesters in front of Egypt’s state TV building (Maspero) on 9 October.
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