(Photo Courtesy of 6 April Facebook page)
The 6 April Youth Movement, led by Ahmed Maher, blocked on Saturday night the doors of the High Court where the public prosecutor’s office is located, demanding the release of detained members.
The movement had criticised the manner in which the Ministry of Interior deals with protesters earlier the same day. The statement comes as four members of the group appeared in court on Saturday and had their detention extended by four days pending investigation.
The group criticised the “effectiveness of the Ministry of Interior” in a statement published on the group’s official Facebook page on Friday night. The statement said that the group objects to “the continuation of the old approach by police [which operates] as a tool of repression in the hands of the ruling power… as they did in the era of the ousted [president]”.
The statement followed claims by the group that police officers violently dispersed a protest outside the home of Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim early on Friday morning. The group proceeded to throw ladies’ undergarments at the police and the house, accusing the ministry of being a prostitute for all regimes.
In the statement 6 April said that while some saw their methods as “shocking”, it is “no more shocking than the reality of the scene of Jika, lying on the ground in a sea of his blood and the martyrs El-Gendy, Christy and many others dragged, burnt and tortured”.
The group’s statement also said: “Security forces responded to a peaceful demonstration with unprecedented violence, with birdshot, teargas and beatings.”
6 April reported on Friday that four of its members were arrested, and at the time of writing the group reported that the ministry had refused to inform them of where they were being detained. The group also reported that the police refused to file a report against the minister.
Khaled El-Masry, media director for 6 April, reported that the four members appeared in court on Saturday morning, charged with attacking policemen and attempting to break into the minister’s house. Their detention was extended by four days, pending investigation. Among the four detainees is co-founder of the movement Mohamed Mostafa who reportedly suffered a head injury before being arrested. El-Masry also reported that the group staged a protest on Saturday outside the courthouse in Nasr City, against the courts decision to extend its members detention.
“The ministry is just a hand of the regime that targets political activists and groups while real crime goes unpunished,” El-Masry said. “We will continue to protest until they declare where our members are being held or if they are released.”
Mourad Ali, media advisor for the Freedom and Justice Party criticised 6 April for their protest at the minister’s house, describing it as an example of “moral collapse”. He also called on the group to “review themselves and determine their approach”.
The group responded to Ali’s call, stating: “6 April Youth confirms that we are continuing on the right path.” The statement added: “We will not be terrorised, repressed or harassed as we were not terrorised before.”
