Egypt arrests army officers for 'adopting views against Sisi'

A number of low-ranking Egyptian military officers have been detained in Egypt for at least three months for "holding views opposing" President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Between 10 to 20 officers were arrested after being summoned for questioning by military intelligence about "possessing views opposed to the supreme commander of the armed forces", a well-informed source told The New Arab on Saturday.

Rights groups accuse general-turned-president Sisi of running an ultra-authoritarian and repressive regime since he deposed his democratically elected Islamist predecessor Mohammad Morsi in 2013.

"Some of the detainees have been held for three months without being officially charged. Their arrests were based solely on the interrogations, not a shred of physical evidence has been produced to incriminate them," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said.

He added that military intelligence has been "on the lookout" for military personnel and conscripts who criticise the current state of affairs or hold views opposing the regime.

Last October, it emerged that 26 military officers were handed down sentences ranging from ten years to life for disclosing military secrets, belonging to the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood and plotting a military coup.

Two members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Helmy al-Gazzar and Mohammad Abdel Rahman, were sentenced in absentia to life in prison in the case.

Egyptian investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat was detained for several days last November for "spreading false news and harming the national interest" after he wrote an investigative report on the closed-doors trial of the officers.

In February, a source in the Egyptian judicial system told The New Arab that two army officers were sentenced to life in prison for "plotting a coup" and belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egyptian authorities this week arrested more than a dozen people for seeking to create "a negative atmosphere" through "fabricating crises".

Sisi came to power after toppling the Muslim Brotherhood's Morsi, unleashing a harsh crackdown on his supporters that killed hundreds of protesters and imprisoned thousands.