Dozens of Nubian activists were arrested Sunday in Aswan after rallying to demand their right to return to their lands.
“We were arrested,” was the last update activist Muhammed Azmy posted to his Facebook on Sunday.
The rally came amid repeated calls and protests by Nubian activists to demand their historical right to return to their homeland according to Article 236 of the Constitution, which stipulates that “the state shall work on setting and implementing projects to bring back the residents of Nubia to their original territories and develop such territories within 10 years, as regulated by law.”
This comes opposed to presidential decree 444 of 2014, which designated a large stretch of land in Nubia as a restricted military zone.
Local media reported an unnamed security source saying that nearly 24 persons were arrested on charges of protesting without prior approval.
Protests should occur only via notification to security and not approval, according to a constitutional court, which also ruled that the Interior Ministry can prevent a protest only through court.
