25 May 2017
Days after President Sisi announced his hope for free and fair presidential elections, the security forces detained Khaled Ali, a potential presidential candidate, for 24 hours pending investigations. The charges against Ali are vague and include a making a hand gesture following the administrative court verdict confirming Egypt’s right in the well-known case of the two islands!
This practice comes with similar ones of detaining tens of youth for their comments on social media. The ongoing security measures aiming at intimidating opposition in general and potential presidential candidates in particular only confirm our expectations that the upcoming presidential elections in June 2018 will lack any legal guarantees for free and fair elections.
The Progressive Alliance is in full solidarity with the Egyptian people who want to achieve a peaceful change, for better democratic and economic conditions. Democratic ballots are diminishing by these oppressive measures. These ongoing practices may eventually force the democratic forces to declare that any political work is becoming impossible under such circumstances.
The Progressive Alliance strongly condemns the detention of Khaled Ali and holds President Sisi responsible for all the potentially grave consequences.
