Prominent Egyptian novelist slams security agencies crackdown on activists

Bestselling Egyptian novelist Alaa al-Aswani has criticised what he said is the “oppression and arrests campaign” being carried out by the Egyptian security forces against activists and opponents.

Aswani tweeted that the June 30 Revolution could have established a democracy but had failed.

He said he still believes the uprising was a “revolutionary wave” that helped Egypt build a democracy, but he added that unfortunately it has “returned the Mubarak regime to power in more repressive forms”.

Egyptian security forces have launched a campaign of arrests targeting activists planning for a week of action to mark the fifth anniversary of the January 25 Revolution.