Egypt rounds up regime critics amid calls to protest

CAIRO

Egyptian state prosecutors on Friday remanded Masoum Marzouk, a prominent opposition figure and former diplomat, along with six others, in custody for 15 days, pending investigation into charges against them.

Those charges include “inciting unrest” and “membership in a terrorist organization”, Tarek al-Awadi, a lawyer for the defendants, told local media outlets.

On Thursday evening, security forces detained Marzouk, economist Raed Salama, academic Yehia al-Qazzaz, and four other critics of the regime of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

Earlier this month, Marzouk called for a popular referendum on whether al-Sisi should step down and for public demonstrations on Aug. 31 should the authorities refuse the demand.

A vocal critic of the current regime, Marzouk held several diplomatic posts under former President Hosni Mubarak, who was forced to step down -- after 30 years in power -- following a 2011 popular uprising.

Al-Sisi came to power in 2013 on the back of a bloody military coup against Mohamed Morsi, who became Egypt’s first-ever freely-elected leader in a presidential poll held one year earlier.

Morsi, along with hundreds of supporters and members of his banned Muslim Brotherhood group, has remained behind bars since the 2013 coup.

CAIRO

Those charges include “inciting unrest” and “membership in a terrorist organization”, Tarek al-Awadi, a lawyer for the defendants, told local media outlets.

On Thursday evening, security forces detained Marzouk, economist Raed Salama, academic Yehia al-Qazzaz, and four other critics of the regime of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

Earlier this month, Marzouk called for a popular referendum on whether al-Sisi should step down and for public demonstrations on Aug. 31 should the authorities refuse the demand.

Al-Sisi came to power in 2013 on the back of a bloody military coup against Mohamed Morsi, who became Egypt’s first-ever freely-elected leader in a presidential poll held one year earlier.

Morsi, along with hundreds of supporters and members of his banned Muslim Brotherhood group, has remained behind bars since the 2013 coup.