CAIRO
Egypt's April 6 protest movement on Sunday staged two rallies in downtown Cairo to mark the 6th anniversary of its launch in 2008 to protest the policies of then president Hosni Mubarak.
The group's members and supporters gathered outside the Bar Association where they observed a minute of silence in memory of Egyptians killed in the 2011 revolution, which ended the 30-year autocracy of Mubarak.
They then marched to the nearby Journalists' Syndicate.
The demonstrators chanted slogans calling for the release of jailed activists and criticizing security forces' brutality.
Movement member Mohamed Kamal said they had not applied for permission from the Interior Ministry to stage their rallies as stipulated by a new controversial protest law.
He dismissed the legislation as "illegal".
Many of April 6 protest members have been jailed over the past months for staging protests without security permission.
Movement members had cancelled a planned march to central Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square, which had already been closed off by the authorities.
Some movement members said they had to cancel the event to avoid clashes with troops deployed on the square.
Earlier, April 6 protest members called off a protest in the central province of Minya after clashes between security forces and students supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
April 6 is celebrating today the 6th anniversary of its launch in 2008 to protest the Mubarak policies and systematic rights violations by his notorious security apparatus.
The movement's members were at the forefront of the popular uprising that ended Mubarak's 30-year autocracy in early 2011.
By Nagwa Mustafa
englishnews@aa.com.tr
