Nine people were sentenced to three years in prison today by the Assiut Criminal Court for blocking and burning tires on the railroad in Manfalout.
Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal Eddin told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ministry is determined to swiftly put an end to the blocking of roads or railways or any other impediment of public facilities.
Eddin warned instigators of these “major” crimes that they are impeding citizens' daily lives and affecting the national economy. Security personnel will not allow the country to fail in the face of such crimes, he continued.
The Egyptian people must obey the nation's laws governing freedom of expression as guaranteed by the constitution, and find lawful ways to express their grievances. The Interior Ministry is there to help them resolve their problems, he continued, adding that the ministry would coordinate with state bodies to work on finding solutions to common problems.
Blocking roads and railways has become a common protest method since the January 2011 revolution that toppled the Mubarak regime.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
