• March 23, 2006
  • 4 minutes read

State Prosecutor Extends Detention of 17 MB Members

State Prosecutor Extends Detention of 17 MB Members

State Security Prosecution has extended by 15 days the detention of 17 members of the MB, including Dr. Rashad El-Bayoumi, professor at the Faculty of Science, Cairo University, and member of the MB’s Executive Bureau, the highest excutive authority of the MB.

Ironically, this comes in the wake of the Government’s declared intentions, in talks with the U.S. Secretary of State during her latest visit to Cairo, to seek the establishment of democracy and to stop detention campaigns against political activists, with a view to applying the U.S. approach to spread democracy.

Over the past three weeks, security forces have carried out campaigns on a large scale to detain Muslim Brothers and stormed their houses, bringing to 17 the number of detainees who have all seen the term of their detention renewed pending the start of case against them which is still open-ended.

Dr. Rashad El-Bayoumi, who is among those detained, is suffering from a deteriorating health condition as he is over seventy years of age. This has prompted Cairo University and its Faculty Union, of which Dr. El Bayoumi is a member, to call for his immediate release.

Despite the bad medical care provided to him, the State Security Prosecution has renewed his detention by 15 more days, in addition to the rest of detainees, accusing them of “forming an organization” and belonging to a “banned organization”- which ironically holds 20 percent of the seats in Egypt’s parliament- and attempting to spread the ideas of the MB in the society!

On the other hand, Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maqsoud, one of the lawyers for the detainees, affirmed that the case was politically motivated and it was therefore difficult to predict its future development. Besides, the decision to renew their detention is illegal since the detainees are well known in the society for their high moral standard and conduct and they could be released on bail

Dr. Essam Al-Erian is Prevented from Travelling

In another flagrant violation of human rights by Egyptian authorities, Dr. Essam Al-Erian, was Prevented From Traveling to Attend a Conference to Defend The Prophet Muhammad

 

Cairo Airport security authorities prevented Dr. Isam Al-Erian, a prominent Muslim Brotherhood leader, from traveling to Bahrain today, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, to attend a general conference supporting the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

The invitation to Dr. Al-Erian to attend the conference was addressed by a number of leading Muslim scholars, at the head of whom is Dr. Yusuf el-Qaradawi and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
Commenting on that travel ban, Dr. el-Erian said: “we are living in an age of double standards and a lopsided situation. We were released from a small prison to a bigger one where we are prevented from traveling and moving freely.”

“We are living in an atmosphere of despotism and dictatorship that doesn’t allow free movement, let alone free expression. The regime deals with its political rivals according to its temperament and mood.
It is to be recalled that Dr. Al-Erian and several other prominent leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) have systematically been subjected to travel ban by Egyptian authorities in an arbitrary way with a view to restricting the movement of the moderate MB, fearing its huge popularity and the spread of its message.