The 25 January Revolution Youth Coalition announced that one of its leaders has been kidnapped. The declaration came after youth leaders decided to cease communications with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which used force to disperse a sit-in on Friday night.
In a Sunday statement, the coalition announced that Tarek Zeidan, a member at the group's coordination committee, was kidnapped on Saturday night from in front of the Egyptian TV building.
The movement did not give details about the kidnapping or the kidnappers.
Before dawn on Saturday, forces from the army forcibly dispersed protesters at Tahrir Square. One person was killed and 70 injured, mostly protesters, according to the Ministry of Health, which had earlier denied that anyone had been hurt.
The youth group, through a meeting held on Saturday night, has suspended communications with SCAF until an investigation into the violence at Tahrir is opened and the people behind it held accountable. They want the perpetrators prosecuted within a week.
The coalition denounced the use of violence against demonstrators and threatened to stage an open-ended protest next Friday should SCAF be slow in responding to its demands.
On Friday — the day before the pre-dawn attack — tens of thousands of Egyptians amassed at Tahrir Square, calling for the prosecution of ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his family members. The army’s move to evacuate the venue at night resulted in clashes.
Military intervention was previously been welcomed by the public during the 18-day revolution which kicked off on 25 January and led to the ouster of Mubarak’s regime. There have been reports, however, of military detention and abuse.
