Prominent Egyptian activist and journalist Israa Abdelfattah has told prosecutors that she was tortured and beaten during her arrest in Cairo this weekend, according to her friends and lawyers.

Police arrested activist and lawyer Mahienour al-Massry on Sunday afternoon outside the Supreme State Security Prosecution headquarters in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement neighborhood, according to a Facebook post by Massry’s friend Noha Kamal.

The Cairo Criminal Court on Sunday renewed the detention of former justice minister Ahmed Soliman for 45 days, pending investigations into charges of joining an unlawful group and disseminating false news on Egypt’s political and economic situation to disturb the peace.

The Supreme State Security Prosecution in Egypt has decided to imprison an American woman of Egyptian origins, Reem Mohammad Al-Dessouki, for 15 days on charges of joining a banned group, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egyptian authorities detained a Ukrainian tanker carrying Iranian oil as it passed through the Suez Canal ten days ago, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has reported.

The number of defendants accused of joining the so-called Al-Amal (Hope) Cell, believed to be formed by the Muslim Brotherhood group, has increased to 18 people, legal sources revealed, 13 of whom were imprisoned, and five are runaways.

The State Security Prosecution ordered seizing the funds of a number of defendants including politicians and economy figures accused of forming a terrorist cell to target state institutions on the anniversary of June 30 revolution.

Egypt’s parliament approved on Saturday El-Sisi’s presidential decree to extend the country’s state of emergency, that has been in effect for two years, for three more months on the grounds of fighting terrorism.

Egypt has sentenced seven Muslim Brotherhood members, including a business tycoon, to life in prison on charges of “harming the national economy” and funding a “terrorist” group.

Egyptian authorities have released Muna Mahmoud Ibrahim, known as Umm Zubeida, after detaining her for one year, rights activists said yesterday.