Egypt authorities detain more than 60 people associated with Muslim Brotherhood News
Egypt authorities detain more than 60 people associated with Muslim Brotherhood
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[JURIST] More than 60 people associated with the Muslim Brotherhood [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] have been detained by Egyptian security forces on charges of political violence, officials said Wednesday. The arrests occurred as Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi [BBC profile] on Tuesday reversed his position [Al Jazeera report] on the Islamist group by announcing that the government should not ban or exclude it from the political process. The group also made an announcement Tuesday regarding its plans for new demonstrations [AP report] against the military’s security crackdown.

A Cairo court on Sunday adjourned the trial of three Muslim Brotherhood leaders, Mohammed Badie, Khairat al-Shater and Rashad Bayoumy, after the three failed to appear in court, citing security concerns. The judge postponed [Reuters report] the trial to October 29. Badie was arrested [JURIST news report] last week. The charges against the three include incitement to violence in connection with a protest which killed 9 people and wounded over 90 near the group’s headquarters on June 30. Although Egypt has faced political unrest since the Egyptian Revolution [JURIST backgrounder] began over two years ago, the conflict peaked in July after the Egyptian military deposed [JURIST report] former president Mohamed Morsi [official BBC profile; JURIST news archive] in addition to suspending the nation’s constitution and installing an interim government.