Rights group Amnesty International urged Egyptian authorities Sunday to ensure that protesters in custody are not subjected to torture or ill treatment, after some protesters disappeared during clashes in Cairo, DPA reported.
Around 300 people were injured late Saturday when supporters and opponents of the country's military rulers clashed in the Abbasiya neighbourhood, where protesters gathered to march to the nearby Defence Ministry headquarters to push the ruling military council to deliver on promises of reform.
The clashes saw fire bombs, stones, sticks, knives and axes used, according to witnesses. Protesters set fire to tyres as traffic ground to a halt in the area and nearby roads, they said.
Blogger and human rights activist Amr Gharbeia was reportedly taken by a group of men who said they would hand him to the military police. His current whereabouts are not known, Amnesty said.
"The authorities have to make sure that he and all protesters in custody are not subjected to torture or ill treatment - something we have documented on numerous occasions since February, including by the military," the London-based group added.
Protesters have been calling for swift trials and faster reforms, and accuse the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which is now running the country, of trying to protect ousted president Hosny Mubarak from prosecution. dpa nes mat Author: Nehal El-Sherif