Engineers Syndicate officials are demanding that the ruling military council immediately release members arrested during clashes at an Abbasseya protest and detained pending investigations.
The syndicate has formed a delegation to meet with members of the ruling council andexplain why the engineers were present at the protest early this month, according to a statement released Wednesday. A letter was sent to Egypt’s de facto leader Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and members of the military council demanding the release of the 28 engineers who were arrested and sent to Tora prison.
The statement also said the syndicate is considering the circumstances of the detainees in order to financially support their families.
Syndicate chief Maged Kholousy said earlier reports suggested only four engineers, including one woman, had been detained. Several of the syndicate's lawyers were sent to question authorities and discovered that the female engineer had been released while the others remained in custody.
However, when the syndicate started taking legal measures to secure their release, it was revealed that at least 28 engineers were being detained, Kholousy said. Three female engineers had been transported to prison before being released.
The syndicate's deputy Adel Rezq said they had a hard time identifying the number of detainees. He accused military police and the prosecution of mistreatment and hiding information about those arrested.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
