CAIRO (AP) – Egyptian prosecutors on Wednesday released on bail an opposition leader widely expected to run against President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in next year’s elections, but they referred him to trial over the highly unusual charge of offending public morals for allegedly making an obscene finger gesture.
Amnesty International called on Egyptian authorities to drop the “absurd” charge against Khaled Ali, saying his arrest and prosecution were politically motivated.
“The presidential elections are not scheduled to take place until 2018, yet the Egyptian authorities seem intent on pre-emptively crushing any potential rivals to maintain their grip on power,” Najia Bounaim of the London-based advocacy group said in a statement.
Ali was summoned by prosecutors on Tuesday for questioning in connection with the alleged incident on the street outside a Nile-side courthouse in January when he and other lawyers had just won a milestone case against the government, blocking its agreement to surrender to Saudi Arabia control of two strategic Red Sea islands.
The prosecutors ordered him detained for 24 hours after he refused to answer questions before reviewing the evidence brought against him, including a video clip of the alleged incident. He spent the night at a police station and was brought back to the prosecutors’ office on Wednesday but was not questioned.