The General Prosecution referred 13 defendants to criminal court Tuesday night, on charges of rioting, blocking roads and violence. The first trial session for the defendants will be on 12 December. The defendants were arrested on 19 November while commemorating the anniversary of the 2011 Mohamed Mahmoud clashes. They were also accused of protesting without permission, obstructing traffic and using publications that call for the "overthrow of the regime". The planned protest was set to commemorate the violent Mohamed Mahmoud clashes, by staging a silent demonstration on the Qasr Al-Nil Bridge. The defendants were previously released on bail, but the Qasr Al-Nil court accepted the prosecution's appeal against the release. The protest law was passed in November 2013 under the leadership of then-interim president Adly Mansour. The law bans protests without police authorisation three days in advance of a planned protest.
