Al-Jazeera Journalists Claim They Were Tortured While in Custody—Egypt Update

Accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood

UPDATE (1:52 p.m. ET, 3/5/14): Some of the Al-Jazeera journalists accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which is now banned in Egypt, claimed that they have been tortured while in custody.

UPDATE (8:45 a.m. ET, 3/4/14): The head of Egypt's armed forces, Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, says that he cannot ignores call for him to run for president. Sisi led the overthrow of former President Morsi last July. A presidential election is scheduled to be held in April.

Previous coverage:

The prime minister of Egypt, Hazem Al Beblawi, and his cabinet are resigning, according to a statement Al Beblawi read over state television earlier today. The resigning government was backed by the military, which overthrew former president Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood last summer. The Muslim Brotherhood won big in elections after the toppling of longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011, but is now again classified by the Egyptian government as a terrorist group. Twenty journalists are currently on trial in Egypt for allegedly aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, on which they reported.

A new constitution was approved earlier this year. Official results indicated 98 percent voted to approve the constitution, but turnout below 40 percent. The Muslim Brotherhood had called for a boycott of the vote. A presidential election is supposed to take place on or before April 18, and the military has a preferred candidate. 

Read more Reason on Egypt here and check this 24/7 post for more updates on the situation.