CAIRO: The Alexandria Military Court adjourned on Monday the trial of 13 protesters to Aug.15, despite a previous announcement that a final verdict would be issued on Monday.
Activist and member of "No to Military Trials for Civilians" campaign in Alexandria Evronia Azer said on her twitter account that families of the detainees and activists were chanting in front of the military’s northern command headquarters to release the protesters.
Witnesses said the clashes in Alexandria erupted on July 22 after hundreds of protesters blocking the coastal road near the army’s northern command headquarters refused to leave the area.
Police fired shots in the air and charged at demonstrators who responded by hurling stones at them.
It was a rare incident of violence following two weeks of largely peaceful protests in Alexandria, Cairo and the Suez that were triggered after a court decision to free on bail seven policemen accused of killing protesters during the uprising that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in February.
The military council, in a statement on its Facebook page, denied authorities used force against demonstrators anywhere in Egypt and accused the April 6 Youth Movement of trying to drive a wedge between the armed forces and the people.
Meanwhile, six protesters were detained in Tahrir Square after military police broke up an iftar organized by activists on Friday. They were referred to the military prosecution.–Additional reporting by AFP.
"After the iftar, some people started chanting demands to hang [ousted president Hosni] Mubarak. The police intervened with batons, forced us to run away into the metro station," said activist Ahmed Naim.
The military prosecution’s charge sheet included charges of libel, attacking public servants and "chanting anti-Tantawi slogans", a reference to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawy, the head of SCAF.
The charges were slammed by activists who said that they lack any legal basis.
