Senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed El-Beltagy has condemned the detention of the 21 female protesters who were arrested last Thursday in a demonstration at Alexnadria's Corniche.

The protesters, who had organised a human chain in support of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, were referred to a prosecutor who ordered that they be detained for 15 days pending investigations last week.

In a statement published on the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Facebook page late on Saturday, Beltagy described the arrests as "shameful" practices that were not even committed by the Mubarak regime.

"Do not be concerned with our trial and our detention, for we are having the times of our lives inside the cells. Focus instead on continuing your revolution against the pharaoh -- until tyranny, injustice and oppression have fallen," Beltagy told supporters.

“They were envious of the strength of our stand and wanted to turn the page on our struggles and humiliate us, but our persistence was a slap on their face against their laughable attempts," he added, according to the FJP's post.

Beltagy stood trial alongside other Brotherhood leaders, including Morsi, last Monday on charges of inciting violence against peaceful protesters during the past year.