Tag: Human rights

Sharqawi’s lawyer calls for release of MB detainees

Gamal 3eid–lawyer for Sharqawi and Sha3er, and the leftist director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information–issued a statement today, welcoming his clients’ release, but called up on the newly appointed Public Prosecutor to investigate the Qasr el-Nil officers who are involved in Sharqawi’s torture and put an end to police brutality; to curb the powers of State Security officers; and to release the Muslim Brothers prisoners of conscience.

3alaa has posted a very nice picture of Sharqawi, Sha3er and some of their fellow released detainees from Youth for Change here…

Wael 3abass posted more pix of Sharqawi and Sha3er here, in addition to his account of the day in Arabic.

And here’s Malek’s account of the day of Sharqawi’s release.

UN hints at war crimes in Lebanon

Finally, the UN talks about holding war criminals to account:

GENEVA, July 19 (REUTERS) – The scale of killing and maiming of civilians in Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territory of Gaza could constitute war crimes, the United Nations human rights chief said on Wednesday.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said international humanitarian law was clear on the need to protect non-combatants in any conflict. “This obligation is also expressed in international criminal law, which defines war crimes and crimes against humanity,” she said.

“The scale of the killings in the region, and their predictability, could engage the personal criminal responsibility of those involved, particularly those in a position of command and control,” she said, without directly accusing anyone.

Would have liked to see a stronger and more specific statement, but it’s a beginning. If Israel is not held accountable it will be able to do this again and again with impunity.

Here are Commissioner Arbour’s statement and a previous one in which she says “the destruction of Gaza’s electricity power station may be a violation of international humanitarian law.”

Sharqawi and Sha3er are FREE

Sharqawi and Sha3er have been finally released by 12:50am, after a long odyssey of “paper work” pending their release.

The two were taken from Tora Prison on Wednesday 1:15pm, to State Security police HQ in Lazoughli Square, where they spent a couple of hours sitting in some corridor. They were then transferred to El-Khalifa Police Station, and then to the Cairo Security Directorate, from where the two walked out ten mins to 1am.

Mabrouk ya Sharqawi… Mabrouk ya Sha3er…

Here is a picture I took of Sharqawi, talking on a mobile phone and still dressed in white prison clothes, in Bab el-Louq shortly after his release. His friends, waiting outside the Directorate, took him and Sha3er together with some family members to a downtown coffeeshop.
Sharqawi

Sharqawi and Sha3er to be released!!!

I have just received news the State Security Prosecutor has ordered Sharqawi‘s and Sha3er‘s release!!!

The two are still in Tora, and won’t be released before tomorrow…

MABROUK! MABROUK!

Euphoria is sweeping across the activists’ circles. My mobile is getting flooded by SMSs about Sharqawi’s release. I spoke with several Kefaya activists and rights lawyers over the phone, and I could hardly hear what they were saying as they were shouting and screaming cheerfully. At least two broke down in tears of disbelief while speaking as they had almost lost hope in seeing the two young men free soon.

Let’s hope Sharqawi’s and Sha3er’s release will go through quickly and that they will be freed tomorrow, without facing the same treatment 3alaa got on his release.

I want to thank every Arabist reader who expressed his/her support and solidarity with Sharqawi, Sha3er and the rest of the pro-democracy detainees.

There are still hundreds of MB detainees, like Dr. Essam el-Erian, languishing in Tora, following their arrest in pro-democracy demos, just like Sharqawi and Sha3er. I hope their release will come soon…

Democracy detainees’ ordeal continues…

Karim el-Sha3er (photo on the right) has been subject to a knife assault in prison, an activist source said. Karim el-Sha3erSha3er and Sharqawi are the only two remaining Kefaya detainees, after the release of their fellow secular activists. (Hundreds of MBs are still in Tora Prison.)

The two activists’ treatment in prison has been steadily deteriorating, and Sharqawi recently received death threats from a criminal with ties to security, and the two have been prevented from visits by lawyers.
The delegation of university professors which tried to meet the Public Prosecutor today, was received by his aide only, who promised Sharqawi and Sha3er would be released today, before their detention review tomorrow, Kefaya is saying. Kefaya has called for a demo tomorrow in front of the State Security Prosecutor‘s office in Heliopolis, if the Assistant Public Prosecutor’s promise turned out to be farce.
UPDATE: 3alaa published more details on his blog…

Prison authorities prevented Lawyer Gamal Eid from visiting his client Mohammed Al Sharkawy yesterday (Monday the 17th) even though state security prosecutor issued a visit permit, after much deliberation they allowed him to see Karim Al Shaer only.

According to Gamal Eid, Karim’s right Arm was injured by a switch blade after a criminal inmate attacked him, Karim suspects the attack was arranged by police officers. Karim is being detained in the infamous 12a cell, where acts of violence are quite common.

Today Lawyer Rajia Omran was prevented from visiting both Mohammed Sharkawy and Karim Al Shaer despite having another permit from state security prosecutor, she filed a complaint with Maadi district prosecutor accusing officer Ayman Ra’fat and the prison Sherif of denying the prisoners their basic constitutional rights and obstructing a decision taken by a judiciary body.

This comes directly after Sharkawy receiving several death threats, friends and colleagues are worried that prison authority might be trying to hide a violent crime against Sharkawy.

On the other hand a delegation of university professors, journalists, lawyers and activists went to the General Prosecutor office today to hand out a statement demanding the immediate release of Mohammed Sharkawy and Karim Al Shaer. hundreds had signed the statement in solidarity with the two torture victims. Judge Adel Said, the general prosecutors aid announced that the two will be released today.

Solidarity with Sharqawi from Canada

We received this from Hicham Safieddine, a Lebanese journalist in Canada.

Dear Arabist.Net,

My name is Hicham Safieddine and I am journalist currently in Montreal. I thought you would be interested to know that I read out excerpts from the letter activist Mohamad Sharqawi wrote from prison and that was posted on your website last week, on CKUT, Montreal’s community radio station. You can listen to the reading and a discussion about Sharqawi and Egypt in general on the internet at www.ckut.ca. Click on “programming and archives,” go to the Wednesday column and click on the “Caravan” show. it is part of the July 12 show. It begins around the 46 minute mark.

My heart and thought go out to Sharqawi and all of those fighting for the dignity and freedom of the Egyptian people.

Sincerely,

Hicham Safieddine

Meanwhile in Cairo, a delegation of university professors will meet with the new General Prosecutor tomorrow Tuesday, to demand Sharqawi’s release.

Activists call for release of detainees

Around 150 activists assembled on the doorsteps of the Press Syndicate, protesting the continued detention of Youth for Change activists Sharqawi and Sha3er, and hundreds of Muslim Brothers detainees.

The one-hour stand protest began at 6pm, with several released detainees leading the chants. The protestors were mainly rights lawyers and activists from Kefaya, left wing groups, Al-Ghad Party, and few members of the MB.

The demonstrators carried posters of Sharqawi, Sha3er and MB leader Dr. Essam el-Erian.

The syndicate was surrounded since the afternoon by CSF troops, who formed a two row cordon circling the syndicate. At least four CSF trucks were parked in Ramsis St. Two battalions of plainclothes thugs were stationed in their usual places, on the two corners of the syndicate building. Security controlled access to the demo location, but it posed no obstables for those who wanted to get in.

For roughly an hour, demonstrators chanted the usual chants against Mubarak, the govt, police, called for the release of detainees. Later, they started chanting slogans against the Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. At 6:50pm, two Youth for Change activists decided to get out of the CSF ring, and distribute flyers in the street. For no more than two minutes, the two guys kept on throwing the leaflets accross windows of passing cars, before security moved in quickly. Plainclothes and uniformed officers moved quickly, grabbed the two and pushed them back. A brief scuffle happened with other activists pushing CSF concripts trying to get out to join their friends, but it was over when the two activists were returned to the ring.

Ten minutes later, the demo was over, as Rozza’s memorial was about to start…

Here is slideshow of pix by 3amr 3abdallah of today’s demo.

On Friday, Al-Masri Al-Youm reported several thousands took part in protests in solidarity with the Lebanese and Palestinians in Al-Azhar Mosque and other provinces outside Cairo.

Here’s a slideshow of pix by Nasser Nouri of Al-Azhar Friday demo. Activists from the Islamist-leaning Labor Party, according to Nasser, led others in chanting in solidarity with the Palestinians and Lebanese. There were also chants against the Saudi royal family, and Arab regimes.

Algeria’s secret torture chambers

A new report by Amnesty International on Algeria’s secret torture chambers is out. The full 44-page report could be found here.
Algerian security services have inherited the French school of torture and counterinsurgency that was ironically developed by Frech colonialists against Algerians themeselves… and sure the jackboots gained more expertise in their dirty war against Islamist militants during the 1990s civil war.
Currently Algeria is one of America’s and Europe’s allies in the “war on terror” together with Bin 3ali of Tunisia and Mubarak of Egypt. The CIA-chartered Ghost Flights reportedly landed in Algerian airports. Several Europe-based militant suspects were also sent back to Algeria, where Bu Tafliqa’s secret services’ custody, other EU members are still trying hard.
Related Article:
Algeria admits killing 17,000 Islamists

Demo planned in solidarity with detainees

Activists are calling for a protest in front of the Press Syndicate, Saturday 15 July, 6pm, to demand the release of Sharqawi, Sha3er, and the Muslim Brotherhood detainees, who were picked up during security crackdowns on pro-Judges demos.

A centralized Activism Calendar has been launched on Manalaa and Kefaya‘s website. It’s available only in Arabic at the moment. Get in touch with the administrators of either of the two websites to publicize your demo.