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Egyptian students behind bars as classes resume

Hundreds of Egyptian students remain in prison, with as many as a third of them randomly detained by authorities without evidence of participating in protests or supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
Al-Azhar University students walk past riot police during a protest conducted by a pro-Muslim Brotherhood student movement known as the Students Against the Coup, in Nasr City district October 12, 2014. Universities in Egypt opened on Saturday for the new semester with long queues due to increased security measures such as requiring students to present their identification cards and having their bags inspected, according to local media Al-Ahram's Arabic website.  REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: CI

CAIRO — University students typically do not dream of spending their last academic year in prison, instead of attending their lectures and passing their exams in peace.

Hundreds of Egyptian students are in prison, some of whom were arrested while participating in demonstrations on campus, while as many as a third of detainees were randomly rounded up, according to student groups and human rights organizations who spoke to Al-Monitor.

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