The father of a recently arrested activist called for his immediate release, saying the charges leveled at his son are fabricated. The son was arrested against the backdrop of last month's clashes between mostly-Coptic protesters and the army at Maspero. The father's name is Ahmed Seif al-Islam, and his son is Alaa.
“The military council is brutal and must be brought to trial,” said Islam, who directs the Hisham Mubarak Center for Human Rights. “They are a bunch of executioners.”
“Those who seek a political role for the army are against the revolution,” he said. “A military rule has been the worst throughout history.”
Alaa’s mother, Laila Suef, said the problem is not only with her son. “All activists suffer the same persecution,” she said, calling for a judicial committee to investigate the Maspero clashes. She accused the ruling military council of using violence in dispersing demonstrators that day.
Suef urged the council to transfer power to a civilian authority, and called on people to hold million-man demonstrations until all activists are released.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
