Minutes before the start of a press conference organised by the Anti Coup Alliance, security forces raided the headquarters of Al-Istiklal Salafi party in Garden City district in downtown Cairo where the press conference was planned to take place.
Anti Coup Alliance Spokesman Hamza Sarawy said security forces blocked the street where the party headquarter is located from both sides and prevented journalists from entering the building.
Sarawy added that two of the event organisers were arrested, one of which is detained in an undisclosed location. He denied that any journalists were arrested.
“The alliance will reschedule the press conference to refute the claims made by the National Council of Human Rights in their report on Rabaa dispersal,” added Sarawy
Secretary General of Al-Istiklal Party and a leading figure of the Anti Coup Alliance Magdy Koranny commented on the raid. “This is irrefutable evidence that the putshist police is against democracy, and wants to hide its violations during the Rabaa dispersal that were to be unveiled in the press conference,” he asserted.
Ministry of Interior Spokesman Hany Abdel Latif meanwhile said: “The Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organisation that should be arrested, not holding pressers.”
On Monday the National Council of Human Rights (NCHR) announced its full report on the Rabaa sit-in dispersal. The summary of the controversial report was presented ten days earlier and deals with violations during the forcible dispersal on 14 August of a sit-in by supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi.
The report announced that the majority of the protesters were peaceful, but said clashes had erupted after a group of armed protesters shot dead one police officer in Rabaa. The report mentioned that council estimated the death toll on that day to be 632.
