CAIRO, 8 May 2005 — Egypt has released 135 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood detained in a crackdown after nationwide demonstrations, but more than 1,500 are still being held, security sources said yesterday. Police released 135 members of the group in El-Minya, about 220 km south of Cairo, the sources said.
One source said more than 1,500 were still in detention, including senior Brotherhood member Essam Erian and three others who were detained at Erian’s flat in Cairo on Friday. Another source said about 1,800 were still being held.
Hundreds of members and supporters of the Brotherhood were rounded up this week after the group staged protests across the country calling for reform.
The Brotherhood and other opposition groups have been calling for change during increasingly frequent demonstrations, including seeking an end to emergency laws in place since 1981 and which give the statewide powers for detention.
Opposition groups have also voiced fears that proposals to amend the constitution to allow for the country’s first multi-candidate presidential elections are being watered down to thwart a serious challenge to President Hosni Mubarak.
