CAIRO, 20 May 2005 — Egyptian prosecutors yesterday extended the detention of 79 jailed members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including four leaders, arrested in a government crackdown sparked by a wave of pro-reform protests by the banned movement.
A total of 754 members of the outlawed Brotherhood are in detention over the protests, which the group has held in several Egyptian provinces over the past month, part of a growing opposition campaign for reform.
The 79 Brotherhood members were ordered held for another 15 days for further investigation, prosecution officials said. Among them were four leading figures arrested May 6, including Essam El-Eriyan, one of the most prominent young leaders of the Brotherhood. They were jailed for belonging to a banned organization and organizing unauthorized protests. Under emergency laws, imposed since 1981, suspects could be detained up to six months without trial.
On Monday, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights demanded the immediate release of the Muslim Brothers and all political detainees. The government has never confirmed the number of political detainees or militant suspects and their relatives. Opposition estimates place the number at up to 20,000.
