Brussels, 13/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 13 May, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton spoke of her concern about the detention of the head of the 6 April movement, Ahmed Maher, in Cairo airport on 10 May. Maher is “a prominent human rights defender who has been at the forefront of the fight for inclusive democracy and fundamental rights in Egypt - main aspirations of the 2011 revolution.” “His arrest, coming after the detention and prosecution of other 6 April members, civil society activists and media professionals, is a worrying development in the context of the democratic transition in the country”, Ashton's spokesperson stated.
Maher was arrested in the airport on 10 May on his return from the USA. Questioned and detained in a high security prison on the night of 10-11 May, he was released on 11 May on the order of Egypt's public prosecutor. Maher was accused of inciting demonstrations outside the ministry of the interior in March. (CG/transl.fl)