June 21: Day of solidarity with political prisoners

A number of activists have said June 21 will be an international day of solidarity with detainees in Egypt.

Sit-ins are planned this coming Saturday in Cairo, Paris, London and Berlin.

“The military authority stands now on the remains of its opposition,” say the organizers of the Facebook event page, which mentions Mahienour al-Massry, who is being detained for breaking the Protest Law.

Massry was taken into custody after an appeals court affirmed a two-year sentence against her and eight others in May. Her case dates back to a protest last December outside the trial of the police officers accused of murdering Khaled Saeed, the case widely known as being one of the triggers for the January 25, 2011 uprising.

Since her incarceration, Massry has written two letters about the continuation of her struggle against injustice.

On Wednesday, activist Alaa Abd El Fattah and 24 others were sentenced to 15 years in prison for organizing an unauthorized protest outside the Shura Council in Cairo and attacking a police officer.

According to Wiki Thawra, 18,977 were arrested in Egypt from July 3 last year until the beginning of this year. Many are still being detained, often without formal charge under the contentious Protest Law or on accusations related to terrorism.