Islamist politician detained for 45 days over ‘harming national security’

CAIRO – 17 February 2019: Egyptian Islamist politician and former Presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh was detained for 45 days pending investigations over accusations of “publishing false news causing harm to the state’s security,” according to a statement from the Cairo Criminal Court on Sunday.

Aboul Fotouh, head of Islamist Strong Egypt Party, was arrested on Feb. 15 and was under investigation for four hours by general prosecutors over accusations of “inciting violence and chaos through anti-state media outlets, joining an outlawed organization, and harming the state’s reputation.”

During the investigations, Aboul Fotouh denied all accusations, saying that he does not belong to any outlawed organization and his political party was licensed by the Partisan Affairs Committee.

Few days ago, his deputy Mohamed al-Qassas was arrested over the same accusations as “the party is preparing anti-state media materials to be published on the pro-Muslim Brotherhood Mekameleen T.V outside Egypt," the statement added.

In February 2018, Aboul Fotouh and 15 others were blacklisted as per a judicial ruling over having links to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.