Aboul Fotouh from Egypt jail: ‘We are not giving up’

Egyptian politician and former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who was arrested last week over allegations that he disseminated false news about Egypt, sent a message from behind bars saying, “We never go down. We are not giving up. We struggle with dignity.”

Egypt’s state security prosecutors remanded Aboul Fotouh on custody for 15 days pending investigation and questioning over accusations that include “disseminating false news” and “leading and reviving an outlawed group”, in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Aboul Fotouh’s membership in the Brotherhood was suspended in 2011 after he announced his intention to run for the presidency in 2011 in the wake of a popular uprising that ousted long-serving president Hosni Mubarak from office.

Aboul Fotouh ran in the 2012 presidential election against other candidates who included the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Mohamed Morsi, who was toppled in 2013 in a military coup led by his defence minister and the country’s current President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi.

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The Egyptian interior ministry is currently accusing Aboul Fotouh of communicating with the Muslim Brotherhood’s branch in London over an alleged plot to destabilise Egypt amid the upcoming presidential election, which will be held in March.

Aboul Fotouh is a veteran politician who was arrested and detained several times under the rule of ousted president Hosni Mubarak.