Turkish Student Detained In Cairo By Egypt Authorities

A Turkish student is being held in detention by Egyptian authorities after being picked up at a restaurant near Cairo’s Tahrir Square last Friday, Middle East Eye reported on Wednesday.

Berdan Turkmen, who was picked up during anti-government protests in the capital, was in Egypt for a month-long internship hosted by the Turkish branch of the youth training foundation, AIESEC.

Berdan’s father Yilmaz Turkmen, citing the Turkish consulate in Cairo, said his son ⁠— who studies electronics engineering ⁠— was detained by Egypt’s National Security Agency and was expected to fly back from Egypt this weekend.

AIESEC confirmed his detention.

Its spokesperson told MEE that efforts are on to “resolve the situation” with the help of the Egyptian branch of the global non-profit.

On September 21, hundreds of Egyptian protesters filled the streets of Cairo and several other cities, calling for the departure of President Abdel Fattah el Sisi ⁠— the first such incident since 2013.

The slogan, “Say it loud, don’t be scared, Sisi must go” has gained momentum, a major sign of worry for Sisi, a former army general who has been in power for five years after ousting the country’s democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

On Wednesday, Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, said his own group and two others ⁠—⁠ the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights and the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms ⁠— had jointly documented more than 1,100 arrests since last Friday.