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Egypt refers 116 to trial over breaking anti-protest law

Xinhua, April 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Egyptian prosecution referred on Thursday 116 suspects to urgent trial over charges of organizing and joining Monday's protests in defiance of an anti-protest law, official MENA news agency reported.

The defendants are accused of committing crimes of organizing and joining a protest in downtown Cairo, without a prior permission as per the protest-regulating law, urging demonstration and spreading claims that might ruin public security and peace.

On Monday, the Egyptian security forces dispersed some limited protests in Cairo, Giza and other provinces and arrested dozens of protesters who rallied against Egypt's recent deal to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

On April 15, political forces, including April 6 Youth Movement and liberal and leftist parties supported by former presidential candidates, protested the recent Egypt-Saudi Arabia maritime demarcation agreement to hand over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to the oil-rich Gulf country.

After the day ended peacefully, the protesters then urged to renew marches on April 25, which coincided with the country's national Sinai Liberation Day, despite the police's strict anti-protest warning.

Monday's protests were reportedly preceded and accompanied by police's arrest campaigns against activists and journalists.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said in an earlier speech that the two islands originally belonged to Saudi Arabia and it was time for Egypt to return them to their rightful owner.

On Thursday, the Syndicate of Journalists in Cairo sued the interior minister for the arrest and detention of tens of journalists and the security besiege of the syndicate on Monday, preventing the journalists from doing their job of covering the protests and the Sinai celebrations.

The syndicate said the security campaign against journalists was against freedom of expression and was in violation of the Egyptian law and constitution.

The claim was submitted to the public prosecution amid a march of dozens of journalists, some raising pens and others carrying signs reading "Freedom for brave men!" and "Journalism not a crime!"

The controversial anti-protest law was issued in November 2013 by former interim President Adly Mansour in the absence of a parliament, and it was later approved in January 2016 by the newly elected parliament. Endit