Egyptian officials say some detainees freed after crackdown

Egyptian officials say they have released some of those arrested in a crackdown following small but rare anti-government protests last month.

The officials said Tuesday that dozens of detainees were freed without charge over the past two days in Cairo, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and elsewhere in the country, after authorities determined they had no ties to the protests or the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

The officials requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief media.

The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms confirmed the release of dozens of the detainees. More than 2,000 people were arrested, according to right lawyers.

Police quickly dispersed the scattered anti-government protests, but they marked a startling eruption of street unrest. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s government has presided over a sweeping crackdown on dissent.