Six Political Groups To Hold Conference Demanding Release Of Political Detainees

Six of Egypt’s political groups have called for a conference to take place on Wednesday to demand the release of political prisoners.

A joint statement released on Monday from the groups referred to the political prisoners as “those who have been randomly arrested and those taken from their homes or while sitting in street cafes.”

The statement said that several reports from rights groups and accounts from lawyers show that the detained have suffered from gross violations and that the basic requirements for a fair trial were not available.

The undersigned include the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the Egyptian Popular Current, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the Constitution Party, the Free Egypt Party and the Bread and Freedom Party, which has not yet been officially registered.

Hundreds have been arrested in Egypt since a new protest law was issued last November mandating that all demonstrations receive prior approval from authorities.

The arrests have coincided with several accounts of alleged torture during detention.

Other activists have been arrested from their homes, like prominent revolutionary figure Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who is still in detention on charges of calling for an illegal protest late last year.

Source : Ahram