Egypt's three detained GUC students released
Three students at the German University in Cairo (GUC) were released Wednesday after being detained on charges of assaulting the university's head and security guards.
GUC student union head, Hazem Abdel-Khalek, his deputy, Karim Nagib, and a third student, Alaa El-Atar, were released without bail pending investigations when the prosecution was looking into a request against their detention.
The New Cairo prosecution had ordered the detention of the students on Monday.
The three students staged a week-long sit-in in March to protest the death of their classmate Yara Tarek, a 19-year-old engineering student, who died after she was hit by a university bus inside the campus' parking lot.
GUC chairman and founder Ashraf Mansour filed a complaint against 11 students, Mokhtar Mounir, lawyer from the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE), told Ahram Online on Monday, but only three have received an official summons.
The students have also been accused of damaging the university head's car.
The GUC student union explained that the university administration had promised not to take action against protesting students after the sit-in, but the administration has denied this.
But some of the students who participated in the sit-in were referred to the university's disciplinary council, after "they celebrated failing in their midterms with a cake," GUC student union member Mohamed, who refused to give his last name, had told Ahram Online.
The university refused their petition to re-take their missed midterms, which was during the sit-in. Students were then “surprised” that 11 students are being accused by the university, he said.
The university is willing to retract its complaint if the students apologise to the university.
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