At least 11 people have been arrested for “protesting without a permit” against Egypt’s recent decision to declare two disputed islands, Sanafir and Tiran, as Saudi Arabian territory, reported Shorouk and El Watan. A small number of protesters had converged in downtown Cairo to demonstrate the new maritime agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The protesters were arrested shortly before Saudi Arabian King Salman was due to give a speech to Egypt’s parliament. Egypt’s decision to declare the two islands as Saudi Arabian has prompted outrage on social media. #Tiran_Sanafir (#تيران_صنافير) became the top trending hashtag in Egypt on Twitter, with more than 28,000 tweets posted in relation to the decision. Some social media users have accused President Sisi of ‘selling the country to Saudi Arabia’, while others have supported the decision, arguing that previous governments had also planned to ‘return the islands to Saudi Arabia’. The anger against the decision, which must be voted on in parliament before a referendum is held according to article 151 of the Constitution, has led to several lawyers filing legal complaints. Among the lawyers who are collecting signatures for a petition is Tarek…
11 Arrested for Protesting Against Egypt’s Declaration of ‘Sanafir and Tiran’ as Saudi Arabian Territory
April 10, 2016
