British University in Egypt (BUE) Student Union President Omar El-Alfy was arrested on Tuesday following an altercation with police after he refused to move his car. He appeared in court on Wednesday accused of assaulting a policeman.
Yousra El-Klefly, a friend of El-Alfy, explained that after he parked his car, a policeman and parking attendant told him to move it. El-Alfy believed that he had parked legally and did not want to move his car.
El-Klefly claims that after El-Alfy questioned the policeman’s orders, he was accused of trying to start a fight. She said that the policeman went away and then returned with 10 other policemen who “attacked him verbally and physically”.
She reported that El-Alfy sustained injuries to his mouth, back and legs and was held in a police station overnight. The police also seized his car.
It was later learned that El-Alfy was not allowed to park his car there because President Mohamed Morsi’s convoy was due to drive through the area.
El-Alfy appeared in court on Wednesday in Heliopolis, accused of assaulting a policeman, which El-Klefly claimed was not true. She believes that this is an attempt by the police to exert their power over people arbitrarily.
The judge postponed the case and El-Alfy was released and allowed to regain possession of his car. El-Klefly said: “Cases like this don’t usually start again.”
The Ministry of Interior was not available for comment.
El-Alfy is an activist and student at the BUE and has in the past led student protests against the university administration.
In September 2012 he was involved in representing the BUE students during a two-week sit-in calling for compensation for students who missed the chance to earn the dual Egyptian/British degrees normally offered by the BUE. The negotiations were successful and the students had their demands met by the university administration.
