Bloggers arrested for demonstrating support demand immediate release

The Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights submitted a complaint to the Attorney General and the Prosecutor General of Qena Prosecutions. The complaint accused Qena’s head of security and head of state security investigations in Naga’a Hamadi of illegal arrest and detention of 17 bloggers and political activists on ridiculous charges including attempting to express their condolence to the families of the victims of Naga’a Hamadi’s shootings.

In their statement, the Centre called for their immediate release and sent letters to President Hosni Mubarak, the Prime Minister, the Head of the Parliament, the Head of the Shura Council and the Minister of Interior calling on them to release the detainees.

The Centre emphasized that Security Forces in Naga Hammadi arrested a group of activists and youths of political movements on arrival to Naga Hammadi and transferred them to the police station and later to Qena.

Detainees included:

Israa Abdel Fattah (blogger)

Wael Abbas (blogger)

Basem Sameer (Al-Ghad Party)

Basem Fathy

Ahmed Badawi, (Youth of 6^th April)

Sherif Abdel Aziz

Marian Nagi

Mostafa El-Naggar (blogger)

Roaa Ibrahim (student)

Shahinaz Abdel Salam (blogger)

Nasser Abdel Hamid (the Front Party)

Mohamed Khaled (blogger)

Amira El-Tahawi

Samir Aql (Front Party)

Ahmed Abu Zekri

Ismail El-Eskandarani

Ahmed Fathy El-Badry (Alkarama Party)