Egyptian security forces have attacked a large number of student protesters at university campuses across the North African country.
Riot police fired tear gas and birdshot at protesters at al-Azhar and Ain Shams universities in the capital Cairo on Wednesday.
Students had gathered on campuses there to denounce the army-backed government’s killing, detention and expulsion of hundreds of students for taking part in protests.
Meanwhile, student protesters at Zagazig and Mansoura universities burned US and Israeli flags to denounce their interference in Egypt’s internal affairs.
The crackdown came as a court in Cairo handed 17 anti-government protesters 3 to 7 years in jail for their role in street protests.
An Egyptian court issued a mass execution sentence for 529 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in March, prompting worldwide objections by international institutions and rights groups.
Tensions are running high across most of Egypt’s universities ahead of the upcoming presidential election. Students have held several rallies against a presidential bid by former defense minister, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who overthrew Egypt’s first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi, around nine months ago.
Hundreds of protesters, mostly Morsi’s supporters, have been killed or wounded during the violence that has erupted since the removal of Morsi.
JR/AB/SS
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