6 April movement to hold strike despite sweeping arrests

Under the title of “And what is the end of it?”, a spokesperson for the movement previously told Daily News Egypt that the exact action to be taken will “remain a surprise” .

 

“We remain steadfast in our call to the Egyptian people to stay home on 11 June and to boycott all government bodies and institutions,” 6 April said in a statement.

 

Spokesperson Amal Sharaf said the movement created this event because “things continue to go from bad to worse”. She added that injustice has “exceeded its limits”, especially with the news of mass death sentences, executions, and increases in military trials “especially in governorates outside Cairo”.

 

Sharaf also referenced authorities’ “broken promises”, after authorities previously stated they would release political prisoners, including Ahmed Maher, a co-founder of the movement.

 

Last April, the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters ruled to ban the 6 April movement for “espionage” and “activities that distort Egypt’s image”.

 

Meanwhile, a series of arrests and forced disappearances have targeted the movement

 

An activist called Mohamed Ali Ibrahim was arrested from his home last week by security forces for his role in calling for the general strike. He has been implicated by possession of publications and electronic files that called for the strike.

 

At least 163 people have been forcibly disappeared and illegally held by security forces in the past two months, according to local activist network Freedom for the Brave. Some of the disappeared individuals have appeared at prosecution days later, on charges of belonging to an illegal organisation and unlawfully calling for protests.

 

Activists believe many cases are linked to an upcoming strike called for by the 6 April Youth Movement, and are an attempt to neutralise activism by the Ministry of Interior. However, while 6 April is mainly composed of young students, the recent wave of disappearances has also targeted those of older ages.