Cairo, Egypt - Egyptian authorities have detained two Coptic Christian activists suspected of posting anti-Islamic messages on a Christian web site, a police official and the lawyer for the two said Thursday.
State security officers stormed the homes of Adel Fawzy and Peter Ezzat in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, arresting the two on Wednesday and seizing documents and computers, said the police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Fawzy and Ezzat are the founders of the Cairo branch of the Middle East Christian Association, known as MECA, a Canada-based group that advocates Christians rights. Police did not specify which postings had led to the arrest of the two.
Fawzy and Ezzat were expected to face the state prosecutor on Thursday, the police official added.
Their lawyer, Mamdouh Nakhleh, said the two worked as a reporter and photographer for the Canada-based organization. He said he believed they would face a hearing as early as Saturday, after the Friday Muslim day of rest.
No charges have been filed yet, Nakhleh told The Associated Press, adding that the two were arrested for "posting stuff without permission." The authorities allege that they were promoting "deviated Quranic verses and criticism of Islam," he said.
"I will try to hasten their case before the prosecutor ... so they two will not be subjected to any sort of torture or be forced to give any statement that could be harmful in their case," Nakhleh said.
Cases of torture of suspects inside Egyptian police stations and state security detention centers have drawn much attention after several incidents of police brutality were published on blogs and in local media over the past year.
Meanwhile, a statement on MECA's Web site said that state security forces broke into and ransacked the homes of Fawzy and Ezzat before arresting them. It said that other members of the organization were targeted and are now in hiding.
The statement added that the organization expects the two would be charged with engaging in missionary work, possession of controversial literature, liaising with foreign organizations and involvement in activities that endanger state security — charges which usually entail heavy prison sentences.
Missionary work can fall under the term of proselytizing, which is illegal under Egyptian law.
The group said the men also may have riled the police in their support for a known Muslim convert to Christianity here. Apostasy is considered a grave sin under Islam.
MECA said its Cairo branch was in the process of being registered legally in Egypt and speculated that authorities may seek ways to block the process. It called on urgent action to free the two men.
Coptic Christians represent about 10 percent of Egypt's 76 million population and generally live in peace with the Sunni Muslim majority, though occasional sectarian clashes occur.