September 26, 2019
On Monday security forces in Egypt arrested several leaders of the Istiqlal (Independence) Party in Cairo, including Secretary-General of the party Magdi Gargur.
Also detained were Mohammed al-Amir, a member of the legal committee of the party, human rights lawyer Sahar Ali, information secretary of the city of Manzala in Dakahlia governorate, Mohamed al-Qadousi, the secretary of the organisation and membership committee, Ahmad al-Qazzaz, and a member of the party’s youth union, Mohammed Shadi.
Security forces also raided the home of the party’s media secretary, Shawki Rajab, and destroyed his apartment, but he was not there at the time.
Also arrested was the party’s female secretary Najla al-Qalioubi, the wife of journalist imprisoned since 2014, Magdi Ahmed Hussein.
The Independence Party has condemned the Egyptian authorities’ repression of peaceful demonstrations which erupted in the streets and squares of Egypt in several provinces on Friday and Saturday. They are demanding the departure of al-Sisi from power and calling for the immediate release of all detainees in Egyptian prisons, and to “demonstrate again in support of the demands for freedom, justice and equality.”
Egyptian actor and businessman Mohamed Ali, who worked with the armed forces for 15 years as a contractor, called on the Egyptian masses to demonstrate on Friday after a series of videos in which he revealed the extent of corruption within the regime and the military, went viral.
