Egyptian opposition calls for Friday protests over arrests of political activists

Egypt's main opposition bloc called Wednesday for peaceful demonstrations outside the general prosecution headquarters on Friday against the recent arrests of some political activists. The National Salvation Front rejected the abuse of power on part of the general prosecution to settle political disputes with the opponents of the government. It also called for implementing an earlier court decision to overturn President Mohamed Morsi's appointment of current Prosecutor-General Talaat Ibrahim. The Front blamed the president for the recent bloodshed in Egypt, warning against deviating from the rule of law or assaults against the judicial authority. "The people would no longer accept any authoritarian or dictatorial regime," the statement said, in reference to the implied threats to jail opposition members in Morsi's latest speech. It also described the general prosecution's arrests of five political activists as implementation of the president's threats. Egypt's prosecution on Monday issued arrest warrants and a travel ban against the five activists charged with inciting violent clashes outside the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo.