Tag: Human rights

Renditions exposed

The Council of Europe today came out with a bashing report on the US “ghost flights” in Europe, identifying a “spider’s web” of landing points around the world airports, used by the CIA for its “extraordinary rendition” program, whereby Islamist suspects are moved around the world to secret detention and interrogation centers. The report also exposed 14 European countries, which are either “involved in or complicit” in the suspects’ illegal transfer and detention.

Washington and several European capitals, stand accused, have rejected the report, saying it’s solely based on “allegations.” Continue reading Renditions exposed

State Security Prosecutor renews Sharqawi’s and Sha3er’s detention

State Security Prosecutor renewed today the detention of Mohamed el-Sharqawi and Kareem el-Sha3er, the two Youth for Change activists who were detained and brutally tortured by State Security police on May 25, 2006.

The very kind-hearted prosecutor also decided that Sharqawi could finally start receiving medical treatment at El-Manial Hospital.

Moreover, the prosecutor extended today the detention of 50 Muslim Brotherhood activists, who were also detained in the May pro-reform demos. AP journalist Nadia Abou El-Magd reports: Continue reading State Security Prosecutor renews Sharqawi’s and Sha3er’s detention

A letter from a former Islamist detainee

I received today from my friend Alia Mossallam an English translation of a letter sent to Magdi Mahanna–the prominent columnist at Al-Masri Al-Youm, my favorite daily liberal tabloid–from a former Islamist detainee who spent 13 years in prison without trial. It sheds some light on the 1990s Egyptian “war on terror,” which the regime brags (or at least used to brag before the Sinai bombings) it was a “successful model for fighting terror.” Please read the letter….. Continue reading A letter from a former Islamist detainee

Four detainees released; 21 others given 15 more days

I honestly don’t understand how this country works anymore. After extending their detention Sunday for 15 more days, the State Security Prosecutor U-turned this afternoon, ordering the release of two leftist women activists, Nada al-Qassass and Rasha 3azab.

The two women journalists were arrested on May 7, together with Asmaa Ali of the Revolutionary Socialists, whose release the prosecutor ordered yesterday. The two women are still in Qanater Women’s Prison, and are expected to go free tomorrow. (Mabrouk ya banat!!)

The State Security Prosecutor also ordered today the release of Ashraf Ibrahim and Hamdi Abul Ma3ati Qenawi, while extending the detention of 21 other activists—including Kamal Khalil, Ibrahim el-Sahari and Wael Khalil, who’ve been in prison since April 26-27—for another 15 more days.More...

Ashraf Ibrahim was one of the hunger-strikers who were forcefully moved last week to solitary confinement in Mazra3et Tora prison. The hunger strike lasted for five days, with more than a dozen detainees taking part. Ashraf and four other detainees were transferred by a Special Operations police force, attached to Tora, against their will. The detainees’ lawyers say the remaining four, after Ashraf’s release, were returned to their original cells in Mahkoum Tora.

3alaa Seif al-Islam, a prominent leftist blogger whose detention was renewed yesterday for another 15 days, sent a letter from prison today. My friend Alia Mossallam kindly translated it into English: Continue reading Four detainees released; 21 others given 15 more days

Solidarity demo in London

Around 30 protestors assembled yesterday in front of the BBC World Service building in London, to express their solidarity with their Cairo colleagues, Dina Samak and Dina Gameel, who were assaulted by security agents and plainclothes thugs, on 25 May, 2006. The demo was called for by the British National Union of Journalists, to which the two Egyptian journalists belong. You can find a full report on Ahmad Zahran’s blog.

The British Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) has also sent a letter to the Egyptian Prosecutor-General, Maher 3abdel Wahed, condemning the assaults on journalists and protestors, and demanding the detainees’ release.. Continue reading Solidarity demo in London

Engineering dissent

I can’t claim I know much about what’s happening in the Engineers’ Syndicate, but it seems like the Egyptian engineers are trying to get their act together, and liberate their syndicate from government control. The syndicate, together with other professional syndicates—especially the Doctors’, Pharmacists’—had largely fallen under the Muslim Brothers’ control in the beginning of the 1990s. The government targeted the syndicates with new legislations, that brought them under its control, during the general crackdown on Islamism starting from 1992. Activities at the syndicate came to a complete halt for a decade.

But, it seems the overall political stir in the country is finally making its way to our engineers. Last year my inbox received several statements signed by Mohandessoun Ded el-Herassa, which translates awkwardly into “Engineers Against Custodianship,” in reference to the government-imposed group of custodians who run the syndicate. And if I’m not mistaken, there was a demonstration organized at some point in front of the syndicate this year, but my memory betrays me so as to when exactly.

It’s worth noting several prominent leaders in the anti-Mubarak movement come from the ranks of the engineers, like Kamal Khalil. But leftist engineers, seemingly, have tended to be active politically in circles other than their own syndicate. I don’t necessarily know why, but may be because of the strong dominance of the Islamists that had left a tiny room for secular activism? (If any of you dear Arabist readers are following the engineers’ beat, you are more than welcome to share info with us.)

Since last February, my inbox has been receiving statements signed by the “Democratic Engineers.� Now a petition is being circulated calling for the end of government control on the syndicate. I thought of sharing their (Arabic) website with you. The site includes their manifesto, statements, updates on activism issues, and the petition.

How Israel treats foreign NGO workers

Here’s a couple of recent stories about what happened to Western aid workers operating in the Occupied Territories. Of course, the Rachel Corrie episode showed how Israel feels about Westerners trying to help Palestinians.

Ayaz Ali of Islamic Relief:

Ayaz Ali returned from Israel to Britain last week after a military judge ruled he had done nothing wrong. On his release, the Israeli government issued a statement accusing Ali, 35, of assisting Hamas and implied that he was a neo-Nazi and a supporter of al-Qaeda.

. . .

Every day he was taken to an interrogation room to be questioned for up to 14 hours under bright lights by agents of Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, while handcuffed and shackled to a chair. When his interrogators deemed he was being co-operative, his handcuffs were removed; they were replaced when they believed he was not helpful.

‘They were brilliant at playing mind games. They said they knew everything about me and they had been watching me for five months. They knew my wife was expecting a baby, and told me I would never see my baby. I just tried to be completely honest,’ Ali said.

The interrogations were led by an aggressive man who was assisted by others who played a sympathetic role. ‘He told me that if he thought I was an imminent threat or knew about an imminent threat, he was prepared to kill me. I was in fear for my life,’ he said.

Maureen Murphy of Al Haq:

In the late afternoon of 28 May 2005, Al-Haq human rights defender and American citizen Maureen Murphy arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Israel, on her way back from the USA to Ramallah in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). She was questioned, denied entry into Israel, declared persona non grata and deported on a plane at 00:55 am on 29 May.

Israeli lawyer Smadar Ben-Natan went to see Maureen at the airport and petitioned for an interim injunction to prevent the deportation. The petition was denied by Judge Nurit Akhituv, via phone, at 00:40. The formal basis on which Maureen was denied entry and deported was immigration. The Israeli authorities allegedly feared that Maureen was attempting to settle illegally in Israel. The lawyer’s argument that Ramallah is not in Israel, but rather in the OPT, was discarded. However, there is no way to enter the West Bank without passing through Israeli border control since the Israeli occupation authorities do not allow the operation of any airports inside the West Bank.

Maureen has no intention of settling in Israel. Her intention is to assist Al-Haq in its work defending human rights in the OPT. Maureen’s case is emblematic of an increasing pattern of international human rights defenders being denied access to the OPT. Al-Haq is gravely concerned that this will deprive local human rights organisations of their ability to recruit the people of their choice in order to best monitor, document and expose human rights violations in the OPT.

State Security cracks down on the Brothers

So as to look evenhanded, fair, and balanced (an important pillar of the “New Thought�), security services cracked down on the Muslim Brothers today, after leftist dissidents had their share of state’s wrath during the last couple of weeks.

The Brothers announced on their website, “Egyptian state security police arrested nine prominent members… during a routine meeting at the Center for Research and Development in Cairo. The Center, which is headed by Dr. Mohamed Morsy, a prominent MB leader and currently in jail as well, is properly licensed by Egyptian authorities and has been in business for several years.â€�

Nadia Abou El-Magd of AP also wrote a good wire report about it:

Egyptian authorities Sunday arrested nine leading members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, bringing to more than 650 the number of the group jailed since police began rounding them up three months ago. Continue reading State Security cracks down on the Brothers