Amnesty International has called on Egypt to release 24 Nubian activists held in Cairo after they were arrested at a demonstration for greater recognition of their cultural rights. The activists were detained after the Egyptian authorities dispersed the demonstration violently in Aswan earlier this month; they are due in court today. The detainees have called for the return of the Nubian homelands in the south of Egypt, as stipulated in the 2014 constitution. Nubians have often faced discrimination in the North African country and have been forced to live on the fringes of Egyptian society since their displacement from their homes to make way for reservoirs and dams over the past 100 years. Read: 24 Nubian activists arrested during protest in Egypt

Source: The North Africa Journal September 13, 2017 12:22 UTC