Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest opposition group, said on Sunday the beating of activists protesting against a new term for President Hosni Mubarak showed the government was not serious about reform.
Police and men in plain clothes beat activists with truncheons on Saturday while they were protesting against any extension to the rule of Mubarak, who on Thursday said he would seek a fifth six-year term in September presidential elections.
Deputy Brotherhood leader Mohamed Habib said the beatings showed "that the regime has no serious desire for real reform and that it cannot bear any opposition opinion."
"Dr Habib expressed his astonishment at this barbaric method with which the security forces dealt with the demonstrators," said a statement from the Muslim Brotherhood, which is officially banned but usually tolerated. The protest was organised by the Kefaya (Enough) Movement, which this year has organised a string of demonstrations against any extension of Mubarak's rule or transfer of power to his son, Gamal.
The authorities detained but later released some Kefaya leaders, but on Sunday were still holding 20 activists for demonstrating without permission, throwing stones at policemen and holding up traffic, an official security source said.
About 50 Kefaya activists gathered outside the prosecutor general's office on Sunday to call for the release of the detainees. "We want a free government," they chanted.