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Egyptian political party questions authorities over alleged abduction of activists - statement
Members of the April 6 movement shout slogans with activists against the government as they protest against the detention of several members of their movement in front of the Press Syndicate building in Cairo, April 6, 2014. Members of the April 6 movement shout slogans with activists against the government as they protest against the detention of several members of their movement in front of the Press Syndicate building in Cairo, April 6, 2014.
CAIRO, Jun 3 (Aswat Masriya) - A political party called on Egypt's Interior Ministry late Wednesday to "immediately reveal" information regarding the alleged "abduction" of political activists during the past couple of days.
Strong Egypt party, headed by former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, said in a statement that "raids and random arrests" carried out by Egypt's security authorities are "not in line" with the state's rhetoric on "respecting the law."
The Freedom for the Brave, a movement calling for the release of those detained for politically-motivated charges, said in a statement published on its Facebook page it was able to document 99 cases of "forced disappearance and arrest without investigation" since April.
The movement called on the families of those who went missing to report the incident of their arrest or "abduction" in a formal letter to the public prosecutor.
Of the cases, 37 later reappeared after more than 24 hours of detention, the movement said. It added that one person was later found dead, college student Islam Atito.
The death of Atito, a senior student at the faculty of engineering, stirred controversy after the Interior Ministry announced he was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces attempting to arrest him for killing two security personnel.
The faculty's student union meanwhile said that Atito was sitting an exam the day before he was found dead, and that a "stranger" waited for Atito outside the exam hall and escorted him to an "unknown location" as soon as he exited the hall.
International watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its annual report in January that the government of Egypt "consolidated control through constriction of basic freedoms and a stifling campaign of arrests."
The report stated that Egypt's "human rights crisis, the most serious in the country’s modern history, continued unabated throughout 2014."
During his visit to Germany earlier today, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said "we ... love freedom and democracy in Egypt" but cited "very difficult" circumstances in the country.
There are shortcomings, no doubt, the president admitted.
