A misdemeanours court acquitted on Saturday 16 Black Bloc members who were involved in recent clashes with security forces near the Nile Corniche in Cairo.

There is no material evidence in this case and no injuries among security forces, defence lawyers said.

The lawyers said there is no justification for detention, adding that only the defendants were injured after security forces had assaulted them.

The Nile Corniche, Qasr al-Nil Bridge and Simon Bolivar Square have recently witnessed violent clashes between central security forces and scores of masked men who were said to belong to the Black Bloc group which adopts violence as a means of expressing its opinion.