Egypt protests: Dozens arrested over anti-government demonstrations sparked by deadly train crash
Many Egyptians are expressing anger at the government after 25 were killed in the accident
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Your support makes all the difference.At least 70 Egyptians have reportedly been arrested for taking part in small and scattered anti-government protests sparked by a deadly train crash.
The crackdown comes a week after 25 people were killed and dozens injured in the accident at Cairo’s main train station, which caused a large fire. Many blamed the country’s crumbling infrastructure for the high death toll, and have expressed anger at the government for not addressing the issue.
Ten of the 70 people arrested have already been released, according to Mada Masr, an Egyptian news site that first reported the detentions. Human rights lawyer Malek Adly told the site the arrests took place in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria and Beheira.
The Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) also said in a statement that more than 50 people have been arrested in the last week.
Last week, a lone protester was arrested in Cairo’s Tahrir Square after calling on President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi to resign. The man, named as local pharmacist Ahmed Mohie, was filmed being led away by police.
“Egypt has people who are not afraid of anyone but their creator,” he said in the video, which was shared on social media.
Since coming to power in a 2014 coup, former army chief el-Sisi has cracked down on all forms of opposition to his rule.
In the last year, his security forces “have escalated a campaign of intimidation, violence, and arrests against political opponents, civil society activists, and many others who have simply voiced mild criticism of the government”, according to Human Rights Watch.
Egypt’s transport network suffers frequent crashes, and the government has faced criticism for not doing enough to maintain it.
Authorities said they have arrested six people over the deadly crash, including two train conductors, their aides and two other rail workers. Investigators said the crash may have been caused by a fight between the two conductors.
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