CAIRO: Egyptian security officials say a prominent activist has been detained, the latest in a new wave of arrests since presidential elections earlier this year.
The officials say Hazem Abdel-Azim was taken from his home in a Cairo suburb late Saturday on accusations that include disseminating false news and belonging to an outlawed group.
Abdel-Azim has been known for his harsh criticism of the government since he left President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s campaign in the 2014 elections.
The officials spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to media.
Egypt has arrested a number of secular activists since El-Sisi was re-elected in March in a vote in which he faced no serious challengers.
The latest arrests come amid a wider crackdown on dissent in which thousands of people have been jailed.
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Egypt arrests activist Hazem Abdel-Azim, former El-Sisi supporter
Egypt arrests activist Hazem Abdel-Azim, former El-Sisi supporter
- Egyptian security officials say a prominent activist has been detained
Syria army enters Al-Hol camp holding relatives of miltants
- Al-Hol houses around 24,000 people, including 15,000 Syrians and about 6,300 foreign women and children of 42 nationalities
AL-HOL CAMP, Syria: Syria’s army on Wednesday entered the country’s vast Al-Hol detention camp that houses relatives of suspected Daesh militants, from which Kurdish forces withdrew the day before, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
The correspondent saw a large number of soldiers open the camp’s metal gate and enter. Al-Hol houses around 24,000 people, including 15,000 Syrians and about 6,300 foreign women and children of 42 nationalities.
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