The Egyptian security apparatus has launched an extensive campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood, the ruling party's chief domestic rival, following its announcement that it intended to field candidates in the coming parliamentary elections in 30% of seats.

Political activists explained that this is a precautionary step by the government to curtail any effective participation by the Brotherhood in these elections, particularly since the group had won 88 seats in the previous elections, despite security interventions.

Information obtained by Alkarama indicates that the latest arrests affected individuals and companies and shops belonging to the group, seriously putting into question the legitimacy of the upcoming electoral process.

Whenever election time approaches, the Egyptian government decides to repeat the same scenario through these precautionary security measures, whether by early government intervention in the electoral process and preparing to commit electoral fraud, or by arresting opposition candidates and their supporters.

These early security campaigns against the supporters of opposition candidates, whether belonging to the Brotherhood or to other opposition forces, are contrary to the constitutional rules of the country, and violate the Egyptian government's obligations under the human rights agreements and treaties that it has ratified. Notably, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights confirms the right of every citizen to practice peaceable political activity, including the right "to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives" and "to vote or to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors" in accordance with article 25 of the ICCPR, which requires the state to provide an environment suitable for the practice of this right.

In fact, the violations practised by the Egyptian government have extended beyond the bounds of its traditional conflict with the Brotherhood, becoming a war against all forms of freedom of expression and opinion waged by attacking citizens through their livelihoods, in a manner that has come to threaten the country's general stability. For example, the Egyptian authorities recently decided to take new measures including restrictions on text messages, which the opposition uses during elections. They also removed Ibrahim Eissa, editor of Al-Dustour, and fired the journalists Amr Adeeb and Ala Sadeq, along with many other cases.

Alkarama therefore warns of an escalation of the congestion of Egyptian society, due to the spread of the continual violations and excesses by the security forces, and calls for the immediate release of supporters of the group's candidates.

Alkarama issues below a list of the names of the victims detained from among the Muslim Brotherhood after the group announced its participation in the elections. The list includes the place and date of arrest for each, as follows:

1. Mohammed Abdallah Mohammed, Sharqiya, arrested 11 October, released 17 October
2. El-Baz Shaker, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
3. Abdallah El Naggar, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
4. Abdelbadie El Ghatouri, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
5. Mohammed Saber, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
6. Gamal Said, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
7. Hani Azb, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
8. Ashraf Yaseen, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
9. Yahya Taqseer, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
10. Hasan Salih, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
11. Amr Osama, Sharqiya, arrested 18 October, still in jail
12. Mohammed Ahmed Abdelazim, Daqahliya, arrested 17 October, still held by security forces
13. Mohammed Abdelwahhab Ibrahim, Daqahliya, arrested 17 October, still held by security forces
14. Mahmoud Ahmed El-Sayid Khidr, Daqahliya, arrested 17 October, still held by security forces
15. Amr Abderrazaq Ibrahim, Daqahliya, arrested 17 October, still held by security forces
16. Mohammed Abderrazaq Ibrahim, Daqahliya, arrested 17 October, still held by security forces
17. Shaaban Ismail El Zoheiri, Daqahliya, arrested 17 October, still held by security forces
18. Ayman Moussa Abderrahman, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still held by security forces
19. Mohammed Redwan El Dasouqi, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still held by security forces
20. Abderrahman Hamza Atiyya, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still held by security forces
21. Asim Ali El Dasouqi, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still held by security forces
22. Mohammed Mohammed Awd, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still in jail
23. Ahmed Gamal El Sayid, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still in jail
24. Mahmoud Abdelfattah Shaaban, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still in jail
25. Ahmed El Sayid Anwar, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still in jail
26. Salah Mokhtar El Mitwalli, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still in jail
27. El Sayid Abderrazzaq El Shuwayhi, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still in jail
28. Saad Ahmed, Daqahliya, arrested 10 October, still in jail
29. Mohammed Ahmed, Kafr El Sheikh, arrested 19 October, still in jail
30. Galal Ghoneim, Kafr El Sheikh, arrested 19 October, still in jail
31. Gamal El Assasi, Kafr El Sheikh, arrested 19 October, still in jail
32. Shahhata Atiyya, Kafr El Sheikh, arrested 19 October, still in jail
33. Fathy El Mghawry, Kafr El Sheikh, arrested 19 October, still in jail
34. Mohammed Salah, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
35. Abderrahman Mohammed Misbah, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
36. Ayman Shams, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
37. Khattab Ahmed Foda, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
38. Abderrahman Gamil, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
39. Mostafa Mamdouh Abbas, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
40. Baher Aboul-Magd Gaber, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
41. Ahmed Anwar, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
42. Mohammed Ibrahim El Semman, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
43. Abderrahman Mohammed Ibrahim, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
44. Hany Salah Mohammed, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
45. Mohammed El Sayid El-Daly, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
46. Abderrahman Baghdadi, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
47. Mohammed Farid, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
48. Hamdi Abdessalam, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
49. Ayman Ali Zaki, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
50. Ahmed Hanafi Mohammed, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
51. Mohammed Ahmed Hammam, Alexandria, arrested 12 October, still in jail
52. Ali Mardi El Sayih, Biheira, arrested 14 October, still in jail
53. Fathy Taha, Biheira, arrested 14 October, still in jail
54. Hosam Abbas, Biheira, arrested 15 October, still in jail
55. Fawzi Atiyya, Qalyoubia, arrested 15 October, still in jail
56. Said El Sayid Hamid, Qalyoubia, arrested 15 October, still in jail
57. Reda Ismail, Qalyoubia, arrested 15 October, still in jail
58. Sameh Abdelmaqsoud, Qalyoubia, arrested 15 October, still in jail
59. Emad Mohammed Mostafa, Qalyoubia, arrested 15 October, still in jail
60. Nasser Ramadan Said, Aswan, arrested 13 October, still in jail
61. Ibrahim Mohammed Ibrahim, Aswan, arrested 13 October, still in jail
62. Mohammed El Shaymi, Aswan, arrested 13 October, still in jail
63. Hamdi Abdelilah, Aswan, arrested 13 October, still in jail
64. Izzet Abdelhalim, Aswan, arrested 13 October, still in jail
65. Mohammed Mohammed Suweidan, Biheira, arrested 12 October, still in jail
66. Mostafa El Khouli, Biheira, arrested 14 October, still in jail
67. Hany El Bakatoushi, Biheira, arrested 14 October, still in jail
68. Reda El Houshi, Biheira, arrested 14 October, still in jail
69. Isam El Gharbawi, Biheira, arrested 14 October, still in jail
70. Hisham El Seknidi, Biheira, arrested 22 October 2010
71. Ali El Boulini, Biheira, arrested 22 October 2010
72. Ahmed Tawil, Biheira, arrested 22 October 2010
73. Ahmed El Naba, Biheira, arrested 22 October 2010
74. Mostafa Mahmoud Salim, Biheira, arrested 22 October 2010
75. Mohammed Abdessalam Gaber, Biheira, arrested 22 October 2010
76. Gamal Abdelmoneim El Fil, Biheira, arrested 24 October 2010
77. Said Ahmed Redwan, Biheira, arrested 24 October 2010
78. Ahmed El Sayid El Baltagi, Biheira, arrested 24 October 2010