Wave of arrests in Egypt sends alarming message at start of Sisi’s second term
Dozens of politicians, writers and human rights activists were attacked June 5 by unknown assailants at the iftar dinner party for the breaking of the daily fast during Ramadan organized by the Civil Democratic Movement. The assailants crashed the iftar at the Swiss Club in Cairo and overturned the dinner tables while chanting “Traitors! Spies!”
The head of the Constitution Party, Khaled Dawoud, who attended the dinner, said in a Facebook post on the day of the incident, “There are no more red lines and any gathering for the opposition or independents figures is prohibited,” hinting at the regime’s responsibility in planning the attack.
Mustapha El Sayed, a professor of political science at Cairo University who was also present at the event, said the assailants were shouting slogans supporting President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. In a Facebook post, Sayed said, “The iftar party was initially a social gathering and some of the attendees would have taken advantage to open discussions about national dialogue to achieve political development and democratization in Egypt.” [Continue reading…]