Protesters block Arish-Sinai road
Al-Masry Al-Youm Mon, 18/02/2013 - 14:46
http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/protesters-block-arish-sinai-road

Dozens of Bedouins blocked the road between Arish and central Sinai Monday
to protest court verdicts given in absentia and the imprisonment of Sinai
residents.

The protesters lit fires and put bricks and stones in the road to stop
traffic. The demonstration also halted work in a nearby industrial zone as
authorities negotiated with protest leaders to reopen the road.

Such protests are not uncommon. Earlier this month, dozens of residents from
Sheikh Zuwayed, a town east of Arish, blocked the international highway to
Rafah with bricks, stones and sand, bringing traffic to a stop. They
demanded the release of Sinai prisoners in Egyptian and Israeli prisons and
also called for court verdicts handed down in absentia to be dropped.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm