Egyptian government cracks down on dissent

CAIRO, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi clashed with security forces Friday during demonstrations in Cairo, Damietta and Giza, officials said.

Tear gas was fired at demonstrators demanding Morsi's return. He has been in detention and awaiting trial on various charges, and the rallies were among the first since a controversial law restricting demonstrations was enacted, the Egyptian news website Ahram Online reported.

High-profile activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, 32, was arrested at a demonstration opposing trials of civilians in military courts, a feature of Egypt's new constitution. The arrest, campaigners said, confirmed a return to repression similar to that experienced in Egypt during the Hosni Mubarak regime.

Abd El Fattah's arrest is being seen as a bellwether for human rights in the country, the British newspaper The Guardian said Friday.

Although Egypt's police were a target of the 2011 uprising that brought down Mubarak, they returned to public favor after Morsi's ouster in July 2013, a development that may explain why security forces felt free to harden their stance against all forms of dissent, The Guardian noted.