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Cairo: Five more members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood were detained on Tuesday, in an ongoing crackdown by Egyptian security forces ahead of the April 8 local council elections.
The latest detainees, who were caught while putting up political posters, add to the approximate 800 members of the group who have been arrested in recent weeks, including 148 potential candidates.
The recent arrests are a “shameless bid” to rig the election process, according to the US based Human Rights Watch.
The Brotherhood aims to create an Islamic state through non-violent and democratic means, but says Egypt has also stopped many of its members from contesting the elections, a claim the Interior Ministry has not commented on.
Local council seats could be crucial for the Brotherhood nationally if an independent presidential candidate is to be considered in the future.
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