Cairo: Police arrested a group people,
including a woman activist and journalist, after they held an
anti-government protest here on Tuesday against dyanastic politics,
amid growing speculation that President Hosni Mubarak plans to
hand over power to his son.
There is growing resentment against 82-year-old
Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981, amid speculation
that he could hand power to his 46 year-old politician son
Gamal.
Police arrested journalist Jamilah Isma`il and a
number of people during the protest after security forces
imposed a curfew around the Abdeen Palace, one of the official
residences of the President in the heart of the captial.
Curfew around the palace was imposed ahead of the
protest by a number of political forces, including Kifayah, 6
April Youth Movement, Al-Karamah Party and the National
Association for Change.
They have demanded greater transparency in the
functioning of the government amid persistent rumours about
Mubarak`s health, fueling talk that he could hand over power
to Gamal. Both deny any such plan, but Mubarak has not said if
he will run in the 2011 presidential election.
The protest coincided with the commemoration of late
Egyptian leader Ahmad Urabyi`s protest -- about 130 years ago
-- when he told Khedive Tawfiq that "God created us as free
and we will not be inherited after today".
Protests have become more frequent in Cairo,
Alexandria and other places ahead of the parliamentary
election in November and the presidential vote next year.
Some participating activists alleged that the Twitter
website was also blocked by the government.
PTI
