Share

Egypt orders detention of prominent activist

Cairo - An Egyptian rights lawyer says the country's prosecutors have ordered the detention for 15 days of a prominent activist pending investigations into charges that include joining a terrorist group and disseminating fake news.

Mokhtar Mounir told The Associated Press on Monday that police forces have arrested Mohamed el-Kassas, the deputy head of the Egyptian opposition party Misr al-Qawia, four days ago and raided his home in Cairo.

He said el-Kassas is held in solitary confinement in Cairo's sprawling Tora Prison complex. No trial date has been set.

It is the latest in a crackdown on opposition overseen by President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi who led the military's 2013 ouster of Egypt's first freely elected leader, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi. The crackdown has led to the imprisonment of tens of thousands of dissidents.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 558 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 801 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.87
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE