The Egyptian authorities arrested about 25 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood organization on Sunday, the group said. The Egyptian police said the number of detainees is 16.
The detainees included the secretary general of the organization, Mahmoud ‘Izzat, who is said to be the most senior organization member to be arrested since 1996.
The arrests were made in pre-dawn sweeps on Sunday, ahead of a crucial national referendum on Wednesday to determine whether the constitution will be amended, in effect allowing a multi-candidate presidential election this fall.
The Muslim Brotherhood opposes the new multi-candidate system and has called to boycott the election. They say the new system does not give opposition parties real power, but rather serves to improve the image of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak and prove he is making progress on reforms.
They say the restrictions for registering an independent candidate excludes anyone who does not have the backing of the ruling party.
The Muslim Brotherhood says the aim of the arrests is to silence the opposition.
The Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed as a political organization but they have 17 representatives in the parliament as independents.