Egypt: 6 MB Released, 26 given 15-Day Internment Each

Cairo Criminal Court on August 29, 2006 ordered the release of six MB leaderships and extended the detention of another two in the same case. This grouping of MB leaderships was  earlier last month detained in what was known as the Charity case, named after the MB Charity Section which is concerned with material aid to the poor. On the other hand, the State Security Prosecution gave 26 MB members a 15-day internment each in what was known as the  Mersa Matrouh case. In his first comment on the court’s release ruling, MB’s lawyer Abdul-Monem Abdul-Maksoud said that he expected the court to issue this ruling, hailing the Egyptian judiciary “ which we see as the shelter and safe haven for the victims of injustice”. He added that all the MB cases are that political, on grounds that the arrests against Muslim Brotherhood are either without arrest warrants from the incumbent authorities or on groundless charges.