Leading human rights lawyer detained

Authorities in Egypt have detained an award-winning human rights lawyer after she attended judicial investigations into protesters arrested during demonstrations against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Mahienour el-Massry was arrested as soon as she left the state security prosecutor's headquarters in Cairo on Sunday. A report on the News24 site notes that her lawyer, Tarek al-Awadi, confirmed that she had represented several people detained during the demonstrations. Hundreds of Egyptians took to the streets in Cairo and several other cities across the country on Friday to call for al-Sisi's departure. According to the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights, 365 people have been arrested since Friday. El-Massry has been tried and jailed twice for taking part in protests. She has received the Ludovic Trarieux Award, an international prize given annually to a lawyer for contributions to human rights.

A prominent Egyptian dissident has been re-arrested, six months after his release from prison. Alaa Abdel Fattah was freed in March after serving a five-year sentence for organising a protest without permission. BBC News reports that he was a leading campaigner during the 2011 uprising against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. He is now accused of ‘publishing false news and inciting people to protest’. Human rights groups say about 2 000 people have been arrested since anti-government protests erupted in Cairo and other cities late last month.