Rights group says Egypt arrested nearly 400 over protests

Published April 27, 2016

Egyptians demonstrate against President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Mesaha square in Cairo's Dokki district, Monday, April 25, 2016. Police fired tear gas and birdshot on Monday to disperse hundreds of demonstrators calling on el-Sissi to step down over his government's decision to surrender control over two strategic Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Mostafa Darwish) (The Associated Press)

An international rights group says Egyptian police arrested at least 382 people in the days leading up to and during April 25 protests in Cairo against a government decision to hand over control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Human Rights Watch, citing witnesses and media reports, said Wednesday that Egyptian police arrested lawyers and activists.

It cited the Front for the Defense of Egyptian Protesters, an independent rights group, as saying that police arrested at least 286 people on Monday, the day of the protests.

HRW said six foreign journalists were among those detained, but were later released.

Thousands of police were deployed across Cairo on Monday. Hundreds of protesters gathered but police quickly dispersed the demonstrations.

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