Al-Dostour Party board member in Ismailia, Mahmoud Abdelazeem, was arrested on 29 February, the party announced in an official statement Wednesday
Abdelazeem was arrested from his work place in an internet cafe that he owns. He was charged by the prosecution with disturbing national security, holding weapons, and publishing false news through a Facebook page called “Mubasher Ismailia” for incitement against the regime.
According to Al-Dostour party, he was transferred to the Mostakbal prison in Ismailia and will remain in detention for four days pending investigations. The party strongly condemned his arrest and said it is not the first of its kind. “Those acts adopted by the Ministry of Interior are violating laws and constitutions and are considered a threat to citizens and aim to eradicate other political voices,” the party said.
The party demanded the immediate release of Abdelazeem and overthrowing the current interior minister for his responsibility towards these kind of arrests. Moreover, they expressed their concerns towards the “deteriorated security status in Egypt”, which they stated is much worse today that it was under Mubarak rule.
Dozens of other Egyptians have been arrested recently for similar charges. Egyptian authorities arrested three people early February who allegedly administer 23 Facebook pages, accusing them of using the networking website to incite against state institutions.
