CAIRO, Jan 31 (AFP) - An Egyptian state security judge on Monday ordered opposition party leader Ayman al-Nur to be detained for 45 days after he appeared for a second time on charges of falsifying official documents, legal sources said.
On Saturday, the Egyptian parliament withdrew parliamentary immunity from Nur who heads the liberal Al-Ghad (Tomorrow) party, formed only last October.
Nur appeared in his lawyer's robes to call for his immediate release, saying he faced "a trumped-up trial" staged because of the authorities' "fear of Al-Ghad, despite its still being in its infancy."
He said his party sought the amendment of the constitution to allow for the election of the country's president by universal suffrage.
He also urged his supporters to continue their political activities, not to end dialogue with the ruling National Democratic Party, and to continue preparing for the next legislative and parliamentary elections.
The judge rejected his plea to be released on bail and Nur was taken into custody.
The lawyer, who denied receiving money from abroad to finance Al-Ghad, is accused of falsifying 1,178 documents submitted to Egypt's commission for parties to support his application to register the Al-Ghad movement.
Nur was elected leader of the party on November 6. Last week, he met former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, who heads a US body to promote democracy and who was on a visit to Cairo.
Egyptian human rights groups condemned the extension of Nur's detention and called for his immediate release.
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights questioned "the legitimacy of the procedures that led to the lifting of his immunity."
Four other rights groups released a joint statement in which they expressed similar concerns.
They said Nur's arrest represented a "a message to other Egyptian parties at a time when many segments of the Egyptian society are demanding political and democratic reforms".
01/31/2005 20:15 GMT - AFP