CAIRO: Mahmoud Ezzat, secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood, and 14 other members of the opposition group were released Wednesday after being arrested in August, the organisation s deputy head said.
They were held for about 55 days, Mohammed Habib, a leader of the banned but tolerated opposition group, told The Daily Star Egypt.
They were arrested in Kafr al-Sheikh governorate on Aug. 25 while attending what was described at the time as an ordinary regular meeting.
In an interview with The Daily Star Egypt, Ezzat said his arrest warrant included the charge that he had been attending “a meeting of a secret organization that aims to obstruct the constitution .
But “the right to meet is guaranteed by law, he added. He blamed emergency laws which give state authorities the mandate to accuse and arrest citizens without the burden of proof.
He and the others were released after contesting the arrest order twice in two different courts, he said.
“These are all political cases, Habib said. “They [the state] want to hit the group where they it hurts. He explains that such action aim at flustering the group and “stop its political movement.
Ezzat said he was held in the same prison in which criminals and suspects in drug cases are held. He noted the limited capacity of the prison. “Basic needs, like sanitation, are less than the minimum requirement, he added.
“We don’t blame the prison administration for that, said Ezzat. The decision to exceed the capacity of the prison is to blame, he added.
The Muslim Brotherhood is yet to issue a statement regarding the release of their members.
