Amnesty International has called on Egyptian authorities to immediately release three female protesters detained in November 2013.
The UK-based rights group urged the army-backed government on Friday to unconditionally release the women, who were arrested during a demonstration at Mansoura University, on charges of being involved in violent acts.
“The detention of the three women at Mansoura University is just another example of the mounting crackdown on protesters and free expression in Egypt,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy Middle East and North Africa programme director at Amnesty International.
Sahraoui went on to say that the protesters were facing “fabricated” and “illegitimate” charges and the rights body considered them to be “prisoners of conscience, detained solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly.”
The women held at Mansoura Public Prison are expected to appear in court on Saturday. They may face a life sentence if convicted.
Abrar Al-Anany, 18, Menatalla Moustafa, 18, and Yousra Elkhateeb, 21, have denied involvement in violence, a claim supported by university security officials.
Amnesty also called on Egyptian authorities to end their violent crackdown on protesters.
“The Egyptian authorities must stop treating peaceful protesters like criminals. The relentless crackdown on demonstrations, freedom of expression and independent reporting must end.”
Egypt has been experiencing violence since last July, when the army ousted the country’s first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi, suspended the constitution, and dissolved the parliament.
Last month, Amnesty said about 1,400 people had lost their lives in the violence following Morsi’s ouster, with most of the deaths being due to “excessive force used by security forces.”
SZH/HSN/HRB
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