Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi and leaders of the Civil Democratic Current staged an open-ended sit-in at the party headquarters, protesting the detention of protesters against the Red Sea islands deal with Saudi Arabia, partisan member Mohamed Baioumi said Tuesday evening.
Hundreds of protesters were sentenced to two to five years in jail over charges of breaching the protest law, inciting riots, and blocking roads. The arrests were made on April 15 and April 25 when thousands of people protested the deal in which Egypt relinquished control of the islands Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia.
Baioumi told Cairo Evening talk show on TEN T.V. that the sit-in will continue until their demands of releasing the protesters are met. He also said that there is a double standard in applying the protest law.
“Unfortunately, the law is being applied on those who oppose the deal of redrawing the maritime boundaries, and it is not being applied, at the same time, on those who support it,” Baioumi said.
On April 20, Sabahi, the Nasserite politician, filed a suit against President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Prime Minister Sherif Ismail over handing over the two Islands to Saudi Arabia, al-Masry al-Youm reported.
Sabahi’s lawsuit calls for a halt of the final signature on the deal; the lawsuit was attached with documents he claims prove the islands are Egyptian. The first session of the trial was held Tuesday and was adjourned until June 7, Youm7 reported.
The treaty between both countries stirred the public’s anger and ignited criticism against the government.
