Brutal crackdown on Egyptian protesters as fears mount over ‘pro-military’ draft constitution

Police action that saw some of top activists sexually harassed and physically threatened in Cairo prompted at least 13 members of Egypt's constitutional drafting committee to suspend their participation, deepening the national crisis.

Egypt’s new constitution is still in the drafting stage but has already disappointed rights groups and activists who had hoped it would curb the government’s wide-ranging powers and privileges – which came to the fore during the crackdown on protesters yesterday.

Riot police brought a violent end to peaceful protests in Egypt, beating, harassing and detaining some prominent human rights activists. The burst of repression was the highest-profile police action against non-Islamist protesters since Mohammed Mursi’s ouster in July.

In scenes that spread on social media, activists who have played central roles in Egypt’s post-revolt struggles were manhandled and groped by officers, some in plainclothes, and shoved into police vans. At least 60 people were detained, including Mona Seif, an activist who has campaigned against abuses by successive Egyptian leaders, including those in the current government.

As the police tried to justify their response by claiming, without evidence, that they had reacted to being attacked by protesters, political leaders worked feverishly to contain public outrage.

The violence came as protesters defied a law announced on Sunday as part of a widening effort by officials to counter dissent, in particular the regular protests by Islamists.