A female protester who was demonstrating against trying civilians in military courts was arrested and sent to a military trial herself, said Egyptian activists on Tuesday.
The arrest took place during a protest on Tuesday organized by dozens of activists outside the Nasr City Court building, located northeast of Cairo, during the Supreme Military Court of Appeal’s deliberations in the case of activist Mikel Nabil, who was sentenced to three years in prison for insulting the military.
The protesters chanted slogans such as "Down with military rule,” and demanded the release of Nabil, who has been on hunger strike for 34 consecutive days in protest against his sentencing.
On Twitter, the El Nadim Center for the Management and Rehabilitation of victims of violence said that activist Sahar Maher was arrested on charges of inciting a crowd and photographing a military unit.
The center added that the military prosecutor referred Maher to a military trial slated for Tuesday on the same charges, but that she was temporarily released pending trial.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces on Saturday pledged to halt military trials for civilians, which activists say do not guarantee the minimum requirements of due process.
According to unofficial statistics, over 12000 civilians have been subjected to military trials. Some have been sentenced and are now serving time in military prisons, and some are still being tried on various charges.
