Lawyers: 3 people arrested after endorsing establishment of new Egyptian Hope Current Party

Three people are detained pending investigation for supporting the establishment of a new party to be headed by Ahmed Tantawi, lawyers told Mada Masr.

The Supreme State Security Prosecution issued orders for all three to be detained for 15 days on the back of their support for the Egyptian Hope Current Party, said lawyer Mohamed Aboul Diyar.

They were arrested days after filing endorsements for the new party, a standard procedure in the official process for party establishment, said lawyer Belal Habib. The prosecution is investigating them on charges of joining a banned group, spreading false news, and inciting public opinion.

Tantawi, a former MP, campaigned in 2023 to run as an electoral candidate in opposition to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, staging well-attended popular rallies across the country in scenes that had been absent from the political sphere for years. He was met with obstruction, members of his campaign were arrested, and backers attempting to register their support for his candidacy met with violence at public registry offices.

Seeking to “accomplish the political project initiated through his candidacy in the presidential elections,” Tantawi has organized since October to create the new party, issuing its founding statement on Saturday.

He has also taken official steps to register the party, informing the relevant parliamentary committee and seeking the necessary 5,000 official endorsements from founding members across at least 10 governorates.

People were met with "security harassment” and resistance from public registry offices where endorsements can be filed, said Habib. The three people currently detained were arrested for mobilizing their circle of acquaintances to issue endorsements, he claimed.

Nevertheless, 1,000 endorsements have been filed for the new party in several governorates between January 4 and now, he said.

Aboul Diyar, who was Tantawi’s presidential campaign manager, also noted that people trying to file their official endorsements at public registry offices have faced difficulties, describing the incidents as deliberate moves to obstruct the party’s establishment and repeat what happened when members of the public tried to register their endorsement for Tantawi’s presidential candidacy last year.

New steps make it harder for people to register their endorsements, he said, pointing to restrictions introduced in November through a decision, of which Mada Masr obtained a copy, that designates just two public registry offices per governorate for the registration of endorsements for party establishment.

Offices in Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, and South and North Sinai are also requesting that people who wish to register their endorsements for the Hope Current Party obtain approval from security authorities, said Aboul Diyar.

He noted that he and other party members have reached out to authorities to support the endorsement process.