Deaths, injuries and arrests on day 1 of referendum

At least 11 people were killed Tuesday as sporadic clashes broke out in several governorates on the first day of the constitutional referendum, state-run Al-Ahram reported. 

Fatalities included three in Giza, four in Sohag and one in Beni Suef as a result of violent confrontations across the country, as well as three deaths from natural causes in Cairo and Giza.

The latest death was by a gunshot wound during clashes between Muslim Brotherhood protesters and the police in Giza.

Some 28 people were also injured across the country, the statement said, with cases ranging from loss of consciousness and suffocation to bone fractures and head injuries.

Meanwhile, mass arrests of members of the Muslim Brotherhood, designated a terrorist organization by the Cabinet on December 25, took place across the country as they protested against the referendum carrying posters asking citizens to vote “no.”

Additionally, two journalists were arrested late Monday, the day before the referendum.

Houzaifa Seddiq, who works for privately owned MBC Masr Channel, was arrested on Monday night for possessing posters calling for a “no” vote, Seddiq's collegue Ahmed El-Fiki said.

Seddiq was arrested with Fiki while entering Media Production City by security forces stationed there. Both were referred to prosecution.

“While national security investigations showed I have [no connections to the Brotherhood], prosecution ordered the detention of Seddiq for 15 days,” Fiki said on his Facebook page.

Another journalist working for Qatari-based TV network Al Jazeera was arrested early on Tuesday while covering the voting process in Etfeeh City, Giza, the coordinator of Journalists against Torture Coalition Ashraf Abbas said.

The correspondent, named Mohamed Saleh, was arrested when residents discovered that he works for Al Jazeera, handing him over to security forces, who transferred him to the police station. Al Jazeera has been slammed for its alleged biased coverage in support of the Muslim Brotherhood group.

Meanwhile, 10 arrests were made in Nasr City — including three women reportedly belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood — after they blocked the roads, the Interior Ministry said in an official statement. Knives and jerry cans of gasoline to make Molotov cocktails were allegedly confiscated with the protesters.

Another five protesters were also arrested in the Marg district in northern Cairo for allegedly attempting to obstruct the voting process.

The official Middle East News Agency (MENA) also reported the arrest of two women in New Cairo after they chanted against the army and police near a polling station, as part of a campaign called "Void" to boycott the referendum.

A number of arrests also took place across Upper Egypt.

Sohag witnessed a high rate of arrests of Brotherhood members, as the Interior Ministry said in a statement that 15 members of the banned organization were arrested after they blocked a main road in Sohag City using burning tires to prevent voters from going to polling stations.

In addition, three Brotherhood members were arrested in Balyana and Maghaga cities for holding banners calling for a boycott of the referendum, while another was arrested in Tanta for allegedly filming police forces guarding a polling station, MENA reported.

Three others were arrested in Fayoum for putting up posters calling for a boycott of the referendum, the Interior Ministry reported.

Four more Brotherhood members were arrested in the Upper Egyptian governorate in Qena when they also hung posters calling for a boycott. The posters read, “No to the constitution of blood" and "No ballot boxes under military rule.”

In addition, six Brotherhood members were arrested in Al-Kharga city in the southern governorate of New Valley after they wrote anti-referendum slogans on the walls of a polling station, MENA reported.

In an official statement, the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy, an umbrella group headed by the Brotherhood, condemned the death of four citizens in the clashes, alleging that turnout for the referendum is low and that huge violations threaten the credibility of the process.

“The alliance calls on the Egyptian people to continue their positive boycott, to insist on ongoing revolutionary action, and to increase their efforts to achieve the boycott,” the statement read.