Reuters reported that the Egyptian authorities arrested several students who were trying to promote boycott campaigns and solidarity with the Palestinians.
The students are among dozens of people detained in connection with protests against the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, and some of them were arrested last October when marches – authorized by the authorities – against the Israeli attack spread to unauthorized sites, including Tahrir Square in Cairo.
According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, an independent organization based in Cairo, authorities have arrested at least 125 people, 95 of whom remain in pretrial detention, on charges that include joining a banned group or spreading false news.
Human rights lawyer Nabih Al-Janadi, who represents two of the students, said that 3 students were arrested this month for trying to form the “Students for Palestine” group, including Ziad Al-Basiouni, a 22-year-old student at the Academy of Arts.
Fayza Hindawi, Ziad’s mother, told Reuters that about 40 members of the security forces arrested her son from their home in the early hours of May 9.
The Egyptian State Information Service did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment, and the agency said that it was not able to contact an official in the Ministry of Interior.
