CAIRO: Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is summoning leading activists Asmaa Mahfouz, Nour Ayman Nour and Ahmed Azam for allegedly chanting against the SCAF chief Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the state-run MENA news agency reported on Saturday. According to a source close to Nour, the son of leading politician and potential presidential candidate Ayman Nour, the military allegedly has video of the three chanting against Tantawi. Military sources were cited by MENA as saying local residents complained about the activists' “abuse behavior” and alleged “obscene words and insults” directed at Tantawi. The incident in question occurred during a solidarity protest for jailed blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad, who was in court last week on appeal. He is on a hunger strike in protest over his imprisonment, which is now at almost 50 days and threatens his life. Nour, Mahfouz and Azam have been pushing for the young man's release, and have been vocal in their frustration with the ruling military council in the country. MENA reported that direct insults of the military could be considered a crime and that the military prosecution was investigating the case ahead of their summons. It is not the first time Mahfouz has been summoned. She was summoned in August by military prosecutors for comments she wrote criticizing the SCAF on her personal Twitter account. The military claimed she had “incited people to violence,” but was later pardoned during the Eid holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. According to rights groups in Egypt, some 12,000 civilians have been arrested, tried and jailed using controversial military trials, sparking massive anger and frustration over the course of change in the country following the January 25 revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak. BM
