Students demonstrate across Egypt

Students demonstrate across Egypt
Thousands of Egyptian Islamic students Sunday demonstrated at universities demanding democratic reforms.

Protests, organized by the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement, were held at three major universities in Cairo: Cairo University, Ain Shams and al-Azhar.

Demonstrating students wore black and white shirts reading "free university and free country" as they chanted slogans demanding freedom of political activity in higher education institutions.

At Cairo University, hundreds of protesters handcuffed their hands together to "express the repression suffered at the Egyptian universities," according to a statement issued by the student movement.

They demanded the cancellation of all emergency laws that restrict public and political freedoms and to provide "real assurances to hold free and fair (student) elections."

Addressing about 1,500 students at Ain Shams University campus, student activist Mahmoud al-Koumi called on the university administration to revoke a decision that banned some students affiliated with the Islamic movement from boarding within the campus.

Thousands of other student demonstrators protested across other universities around the country demanding political freedom, as thousands of security personnel blocked the demonstrators from leaving their campuses.

The protests came a day after 42 Egyptian professors issued a petition demanding independence of the universities and to allow student political activities.