CAIRO, Dec 1 (Aswat Masriya) - Tens of Egyptians on Sunday filed for permission to stage a protest against the security forces’ failure to retrieve apartments reserved in their names in Qalyubia, a governorate located north of Cairo, reported the Middle East News Agency.

The residents of the Nile Delta city complained that their apartments were seized by thugs since the January uprising that toppled autocratic President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The applicants, who acted in accordance with the newly-approved protest law, own 120 residential units that they do not have access to.

“Officials and security forces completely ignore our problem and do not care about our sufferings as we paid amounts mounting to 35 thousand Egyptian pounds to reserve these apartments,” said some of the complaining citizens.
 
They added, “We protested several times to attains these apartments, but to no avail. Thugs live in our apartments instead of our families who do not have shelter. They also acquired electricity and water services and live safely there.”

Egypt has recently enacted an infamous law that obligates protesters to give the authorities three-day notice prior to any demonstrations they plan.