The public prosecutor in Assiut on Wednesday extended the detention of an April 6 Youth Movement activist who is accused of attempting to overthrow the government and inciting a railroad protest, state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported Thursday.
Last Sunday, April 6 activist Abdel Rahman Adel took part in a protest with physically disabled Assiut residents who are demanding what they say is their fair share of government positions. By law, each time the government hires state employees, five percent must be physically disabled.
Protesters blocked train traffic for five hours straight.
Police arrested Adel on Monday, along with six other disabled people, on charges of rioting and inciting a blockage of railway traffic. They were referred to the public prosecutor on the same day.
The prosecutor has since released the other six detainees on a bail of LE100 each, but chose to keep Adel in detention pending further investigation.
According to Al-Ahram, Adel is also accused of impeding the route of a public transportation vehicle and possessing fliers inciting the overthrow of the government.
Gamal Eid, head of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, said accusing activists of attempting to overthrow the government was a tactic used by the Mubarak regime to suppress protests against his rule.
Dozens of activists have been tried before civil and military courts for similar charges during the transitional period, which has caused revolutionary activists to doubt the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ intention to form a real democracy.
