Founding member of the 6 April Youth Movement Ahmed Maher has been detained for organising a protest that took place while he was turning himself in for questioning to the prosecution.
Khaled El Masrey, media director for the movement, told Daily News Egypt that the group had been unaware of Maher’s whereabouts following his release by the prosecutor on Sunday relating to an investigation into a demonstration outside the Shura Council last week.
“It wasn’t until midnight [on Sunday] that we found out he was being held by Homeland Security,” said El Masrey. He continued: “At noon on Monday we received a phone call informing us that [Maher] was in Zeinhom court.” A lawyer arrived at the court and discovered that a different prosecutor had accused Maher of organising a protest outside Abdeen court on Saturday, which occurred at the same time he was turning himself in for questioning at the same court.
A demonstration against the Protest Law and calling for the release of detainees did take place outside the Abdeen court on Saturday and was dispersed by police using teargas and birdshot. Protesters lined up with their identification cards to turn themselves in to show solidarity with those detained outside the Shura Council.
The youth movement said on Sunday that it did not accept Maher’s release, calling for the release of activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and 24 other men held over the protest against military trials outside the Shura Council.
Egyptians wanting to demonstrate must now supply a written notification to the closest police station to the planned protest site at least three working days in advance, as per the newly ratified Protest Law. The law signed in by interim President Adly Mansour last week has been met with much criticism domestically and internationally.
Maher served as general coordinator for the movement until the end of October when Amr Ali was elected to take his place.
