240 Brothers arrested in Cairo
2006-05-18 20:03
Cairo - Egyptian police cracked down on demonstrators in Cairo on Thursday, beating up activists and arresting 240 members of the Muslim Brotherhood - including two of its leaders - during protests in support of two pro-reform judges.
A disciplinary court reprimanded one of the judges and cleared the other. The two were referred to the panel after speaking to the media about fraud during last year's parliamentary elections.
Thousands of riot police and hundreds of plainclothes officers were deployed to the streets leading to the courthouse in downtown Cairo. Opposition activists said they were attempting to prevent them from gathering.
Police plunged into a crowd of demonstrators and beat them with short batons until they fell to the ground.
In another incident, a plainclothes officer repeatedly slapped a young man on the back of his head.
The European Union and the United States condemned the handling of demonstrations in Cairo last week - held at the same time as an earlier hearing of two pro-reform judges.
About 255 people were arrested in those protests.
'Protesters were chanting hostile slogans'
In a statement on Thursday, the country's interior ministry said it had detained 240 members of the Brotherhood during the protests. The Brotherhood said police had picked up 500 of its members.
The ministry said the arrests were part of its bid to crack down on those who "create unrest and chaos and try to exploit some of the events that the country is currently witnessing. Protesters were chanting hostile slogans".
Police also detained Hossam Ibrahim Hassam, 26, as he headed to the courthouse wearing a belt with "wires and children fireworks connected to it".
One of the group's 88 parliamentary deputies, Hamdi Hassan, said leading Brotherhood members Essam el-Erian and Mohammed Morsi were arrested. The Brothers are the largest opposition in Egypt.
50 hold silent protest
The judicial disciplinary panel reprimanded judge Hesham El-Bastiwisy, and cleared Mahmoud Mekki.
El-Bastiwisy was in a hospital recovering from emergency heart surgery.
El-Bastiwisy and Mekki are part of a group of judges who have held sit-in demonstrations calling for the independence of the country's judiciary from the executive authority.
Also taking part in Thursday's protests were activists from other groups including the al-Ghad (Tomorrow) Party and the pro-reform Kifaya movement.
About 50 protesters, including members of parliament, the Brotherhood, Kifaya and al-Ghad party members held a silent protest across the street from the courthouse.
Several protesters wore sashes proclaiming they were members of parliament, and some waved banners and placards toward passing cars.
"It's not only the judges' battle, but that of everyone and the judges are at the forefront," said Brotherhood parliamentarian Mustafa Mohammed.
- AP