Police broke up a news conference yesterday (Monday) by a banned Communist group and arrested at least 30 people, including 20 journalists, The Associated Press reported. The journalists were later released but members of the Modern Democratic Forces Movement, also known as Haq, remained in detention. Among them was movement leader al-Hajj Warrak, who announced last week he would test the government’s new law legalising political associations. Under the law, political groups must obtain permission to form a party before they can hold public gatherings. So far, more than 28 associations have registered. According to AP, most of them belong to former southern rebels allied to the government.
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