CAIRO, 30 March 2005 — The Egyptian government’s crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood shows no sign of abating with this week’s arrest of some 250 members of the group, including several senior figures. Sunday’s dawn raids in seven governorates, including Cairo, Sharqiya, Gharbiya, and Giza, came before and during an attempt to protest before the parliament, calling for political reform.
The Muslim Brotherhood condemned Sunday’s operation in a statement, saying it was the most intensive since 1995 and came “amid aggravating incidents against the Arab and Islamic nation.” They added that the government has already released 60 members including senior member Abdel Monem Abdel Fotouh who is also the chairman of the Arab Doctors’ Union.
Prosecutor General Maher Abdel Wahed ordered that 33 members of the banned-but-tolerated group be remanded into custody for 15 days pending investigation of the charges against them.
“They were recruiting and training new Brotherhood members so that they would be prepared to face the Egyptian authorities and disturb the security of the country,” the document said. The group’s lawyer, Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud, said “Many houses were raided and searched without justification.”
According to Maqsoud, around 170 members of the Islamist movement who were picked up from the streets on Sunday are still detained at police stations without any clear accusation and have not be interrogated yet. “I’m afraid that many of those people will be charged of belonging to a banned group and now they are facing the very real possibility of a military trial,” he told Arab News.
Among the detainees are senior members from the second generation of the Muslim Brothers and also the editor in chief of Islam Online website. Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammad Mahdi Akef told Arab News: “We are the largest opposition group in Egypt and it is impossible that we would have stayed silent without expressing our opinion and view about the recent amendment to the constitution to allow multi-candidate elections.”
