6 protesters arrested on eve of uprising's anniversary released on bail

Monday 26-01-2015 09:07 PM
6 protesters arrested on eve of uprising's anniversary released on bail

Shaimaa al-Sabbagh (L), member of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, takes part in a protest in downtown Cairo shortly before her reported death, on Saturday, January 24, 2015. ASWAT MASRIYA/Mohamed al-Rayi

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CAIRO, Jan 25 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's prosecution released on Sunday six protesters arrested during the dispersal of a march in downtown Cairo on Saturday, where a female activist was killed.

The six protesters were members of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party (SPAP), whose member Shaimaa al-Sabbagh was killed as security forces dispersed a protest in downtown Cairo in commemoration of the January 25 uprising's fourth anniversary.

The prosecution accused the protesters of staging a protest without a premit, using violence against police personnel, and disrupting the main road.

A number of SPAP members were also released earlier on Sunday after they voluntarily headed to the prosecution to provide their testimonies on the death of Sabbagh.

The five released party members had taken part in the protest and were questioned by prosecution "as defendants", the Cairo-based Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) reported. They were accused of "illegal assembly, protesting without a permit and assaulting security forces," AFTE said.

Sabbagh's funeral took place earlier in her hometown of Alexandria. Mourners raised a large flag with a painting of her and the word "martyr" written next to her name in a crowded funeral march.

The acting president of the SPAP Medhat al-Zahid said there was an agreement prior to the protest not to enter into skirmishes with security forces. He added that Sabbagh's death reveals the intentions of the regime of trying to "eliminate political life."

Zahid told Aswat Masriya that the party did not receive a permit from the ministry of interior before organising the march, as stipulated in Egypt's protest law. But he added that this was not a protest, rather a peaceful march.

"It was the Interior Ministry that killed Shaimaa," he said.

Sabbagh's death has been widely condemned by an array of political parties including Dostour Party and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party.

Interior Ministry Spokesman Hany Abdel Latif told a private-owned satellite channel on Saturday that security forces did not fire gunshots at this protest. He said gunshots were fired by a group of protesters who were caught on tape carrying rifles.

He added that security forces only fired two teargas canisters.

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