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Egypt: Prominent Activist is Arrested, Jailed For 15 days


FILE - Actress Kerry Washington presents Egyptian activist Esraa Abdel Fattah with a Woman of the Year award during the 21st annual Glamour Magazine Women of the Year award ceremony in New York November 7, 2011.
FILE - Actress Kerry Washington presents Egyptian activist Esraa Abdel Fattah with a Woman of the Year award during the 21st annual Glamour Magazine Women of the Year award ceremony in New York November 7, 2011.

An Egyptian rights lawyer says prosecutors have ordered a prominent pro-democracy activist to remain in custody for 15 days.

Khaled Ali says Esraa Abdel-Fattah was brought before prosecutors late Sunday, after she was arrested by security forces in plain cloths a day earlier.

Abdel-Fattah was a co-founder of the April 6 movement which played a crucial role in the 2011 pro-democracy uprising.

Ali says Abdel-Fattah was questioned for allegedly disseminating false news and misuse of social media. He said the activist announced a hunger strike after alleged abuses by police.

Abdel-Fattah's arrest is the latest in a sweeping crackdown in the past weeks, following small but rare anti-government protests. More than 2,600 people have been arrested, though Egyptian authorities have released hundreds after brief detentions.

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