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Egypt: Lawyers file case against ex-presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi

September 30, 2019 at 2:52 pm

Two Egyptian lawyers known for their ties to the authorities have filed complaints to the Prosecutor-General against former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi and the outspoken Member of Parliament Ahmed Tantawi, alleging that they incited protests.

This comes as protests have spread across Egypt calling for President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to step down. Thousands have been arrested as a result.

Lawyer Tarek Mahmoud accused Sabahi of having close relations with the Muslim Brotherhood and its exiled leadership, and of supporting  the protests.

Following a military coup led by then-Defence Minister Al-Sisi, the Egyptian government banned the Muslim Brotherhood group and labelled it a “terrorist” organisation, blaming it for violent operations that erupted mainly in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The Brotherhood has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Mahmoud added that Sabahi, who founded the Karama Party in 1996, allegedly instructed the party’s youth in Alexandria and a number of other provinces to take to the streets against the state and its institutions.

READ: Egypt’s security forces move to block anti-Sisi protests