6 April Democratic Front member Hamdi Eshta confirmed that a demonstration took place on Saturday in front of the house of 6 April member Mohamed Al-Sayed, known also as Mohamed Arabi, who was detained under the controversial Protest Law. The demonstration called for the release of the detainees arrested under the law. The demonstration took place a day prior the appeal of the Itihadiya trial. In the first verdict in October, Yara Sallam, the transitional justice officer of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and an award winning human rights activist, was sentenced along with 22 others for taking part in a demonstration against the Protest Law in front of the presidential palace in Heliopolis in June. Al-Sayed is one of the 23 detainees, along with Sallam and political activist Sanaa Seif. Eshta stated that Al-Sayed wasn't the only 6 April member to be detained in the case, as there is also Mohamed Youssef known as Meeza. The defendants were sentenced to three years in prison and fined EGP 10,000 for violating the Protest Law among other charges. According to an October statement by EIPR, "The sentence comes amid escalating measures by the government that are effectively shutting down democratic means for citizens to voice grievances". Eshta stated that when the demonstration was over, security forces cornered one of the protesters, smashed his car and threatened him with weapons while searching him. He was not detained however. Eshta claimed that another demonstration took place on 4 November on 6 October bridge, Cairo calling for the release of detainees. Human Rights Monitor released a statement on Monday calling for the release of the Itihadiya defendants and the Shura Council defendants. The Shura Council case has been ongoing since December 2013 where 25 people, including activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, were charged with illegal demonstration and assembly, among other charges. They were handed 15 year sentences and EGP 100,000 fines, in addition to being put under surveillance for a period of five years. Many rights groups condemned the sentence given to the defendants including Amnesty International and Human rights Watch on both cases and have reiterated the call for their release.
