CAIRO: Egypt’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday it had arrested three people who are running 23 Facebook pages, accusing them of using the website to incite against state institutions.

The ministry accused two men, both age 27, and a 25-year-old women of being members in the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt outlawed the Brotherhood in 2013 after the military overthrew elected Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Authorities have shown public concern over calls on social media to organise protests on Jan 25 to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2011 uprising that removed longtime autocrat Hosni Mub­arak.

Social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter, played a large part in organising the Jan 25 uprising, and other protests since then.

Last week, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi war­ned against any such protests, saying they could result in chaos.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2016