A Shubra El-Kheima prosecution ordered Saturday the renewed detention of journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud El-Sakka for 15 days pending investigations on various charges including "inciting against state institutions" and calling for protests.

Earlier this month, the two journalists were arrestedduring the ministry of interior's storming of the press syndicate on accusations of spreading false news, inciting the public to violence and plotting to overthrow the regime.

Both Badr and El-Sakka are alsobeing held on charges of obstructing government administration, harming national unity and social peace, preparing to print material to achieve their aims, and spreading false news to disturb public security.

Amr Badr, editor-in-chief and founder of Yanair (January) website, and journalist Mahmoud El-Sakka, who works for the same website, were staging a sit-in in the syndicate to protest against their arrest warrants as well as the storming of their homes by security forces last month.

The two were among many ordered arrested ahead of the 25 April protests against the recent Egyptian-Saudi Red Sea island maritime border agreement.

Following the raid that resulted in Badr and El-Sakka’s arrests, the Journalists Syndicate condemned the "unprecedented and barbaric attack" by police against the two journalists and called for the immediate sacking of interior minister.

In an urgent meeting convened and attended by over 2,000 journalists,the syndicatemade several demands,including the sacking of the interior minister and the release of all jailed journalists in freedom of expression cases.

A general assembly meeting, which wassupposed to be held last week, is expected to be held on Tuesdayto discuss possible strike action if their demands are not met.

Badr and El-Sakka are veterans of both the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak as well as the Tamarod movement that spearheaded the movement to oust Mubarak's successor, Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.

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