Today Egypt arrested 25 people Kafr el-Sheikh for protesting the imprisonment of two activists, Sarah Rezk and Amina Taha. The activists, and 18 of the new arrestees, are members of Sixth of April Youth that got its start a year ago as a Facebook-based protest group attempting to organize protest against government-inflated bread prices. The two were distributing fliers for a planned protest tomorrow to commemorate the anniversary of that intitial a
ction. According to The National of Abu Dhabi:
Organisers from the Sixth of April Youth have urged Egyptians to not go to work, to hang black banners from their balconies and protest at several locations around the country. They have asked people who have to go to work to wear black.Yesterday’s protesters in Kafr el-Sheikh were demanding the release of two students, Sarah Rezk and Amina Taha, who were arrested last week for distributing leaflets calling for the strike.
According to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, the courts have extended the girls’ sentences for at least 15 more days.
According to a report from Reuters:
Sixth of April Youth has since transformed itself into a broader anti-government movement, collecting members through the social networking site Facebook, which along with blogs has emerged as a major forum for government critics in Egypt.
Others arrested included journalists covering the protests and attorneys working with the group.
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