Month: June 2006

Demonstrators call for release of detainees

Around 300 activists demonstrated Tuesday evening in front of the press syndicate, calling for the release of pro-democracy detainees. The demonstrators included several of the recently released detainees, who showed up dressed in the white prison costumes they wore in Tora.
The scene was beautiful. Released activists who haven’t seen one another since they got out of prison were hugging, and in tears. Others were recalling their prison stories, and exchanging jokes and laughters. Veteran socialist Kamal Khalil, and his colleagues Wael Khalil and Ibrahim el-Sahary got the lionshare of hugs and kisses. They led the demonstrators, in chants against Mubarak, and against State Security police.
Central Security Forces surrounded the syndicate. The usual support brigades of baton-wielding plainclothes thugs were also present, together with few officers from State Security’s CounterCommunism’s Bureau. However, no hassels were witnessed, and one could get into the syndicate easily.
The one-hour protest was followed by a conference, organized by the Liberties’ Committee. Several released detainees took the poduim, and shared their experiences with their supporters. Kamal Khalil denounced any talks between the opposition and Mubarak’s National Democratic Party, called for the release of Dr. Ayman Nour, Sharqawi, Sha3er, and the 700+ Muslim Brothers detainees. Kamal also condemned the US support for Mubarak and Israel, affirming that the movement for change in Egypt sees its democracy cause to be organically linked to other regional causes, most importantly Palestine and Iraq. Kamal also expressed his sorrow for the loss of his mentors and colleagues, Ahmad Nabil el-Hilaly, Youssef Darwish and Ahmad 3abdallah Rozza, who passed away while he was in prison. “Rest in peace,” he said to his lost comrades. “I want to assure Hilaly the socialist movement has been revived. The Communists in Egypt are only getting stronger day by day. You taught us a lot, and we will not fail you.”
I went out later with 3alaa, Manal, and Malek to a friend’s place where we were supposed to party. Unfortunately, after two hours of laughters, singing and dancing, we were showered with SMSs about the Israeli invasion of Gaza. We lost the mood for partying, and decided to go home and follow Al-Jazeera. Israeli tanks, as I write now, are rolling into north and south of the strip. Israeli F-16s have bombed two bridges in Gaza’s central zone. Gaza is now in darkness as Israeli jets shelled the only electric power station Gaza has.
I tried calling a good friend of mine who lives there, but couldn’t get through to his cellular. My thoughts go out to him and all the Palestinians in Gaza…

Al-Qa3da’s media matrix

I came across an interesting AP report on Al-Qa3da’s As-Sahab media productions. We can never know for sure if the interviewed cameraman indeed met Dr. Ayman el-Zawahiri, as he alleges. After all, you would think those guys are under constant monitoring, by Pakistani and US intelligence services, and Zawahiri’s hideout could have been found a long time ago then. Still, I think the report enlightens us a bit about how this secret media matrix works.

Cameraman Sheds Light on al-Qaida Videos
By KATHY GANNON
The Associated Press
Sunday, June 25, 2006
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The bitter winter winds were howling through the Afghan mountains when, cameraman Qari Mohammed Yusuf says, a courier brought a summons from al-Qaida’s No. 2: “The emir wants to send a message.” Continue reading Al-Qa3da’s media matrix

Mauritania’s constitutional referendum

Mauritania — yes, the poor, backward, drought-stricken, desert state of Mauritania — has voted for constitutional amendments in a national referendum that imposes term limits on the presidency. Early results on the 25 June referendum indicate that Mauritanians approved by 97% the reform, with at least 76% of eligible voters casting their votes.

The reforms they voted on included limiting presidential terms to two five-year terms and preventing the president from holding on to his post if older than 75. While the former reform, while not a first, is rare enough in the region (and in places like Tunisia, Ben Ali amended the constitution to remove term limits), the latter is the first time anywhere, as far as I know, that age limits have been placed on a president. If this rule was applied, neither Egypt nor France would be able to hold on to their current presidents!

Continue reading Mauritania’s constitutional referendum

Court forces US to grant visa to Ramadan

A judge has forced the US to grant Tariq Ramadan — who was barred from entering the US last year — a visa after the ACLU and others brought a lawsuit. Whether you like Ramadan and his crypto-Islamist beliefs or not, this is a good thing on principle, for as the judge in the case explained:

while the Executive may exclude an alien for almost any reason, it cannot do so solely because the Executive disagrees with the content of the alien’s speech and therefore wants to prevent the alien from sharing this speech with a willing American audience.

Via Moorishgirl.

Journalist sentenced to one year in prison for “insulting” Mubarak

Ibrahim 3eissa, the popular liberal editor of Al-Dostour, has been sentenced today to one year in prison, for “insulting” the president in an article he published April last year, that included a copy of a lawsuit filed by an Egyptian lawyer against President Hosni Mubarak and his family.
The court sentenced also another Al-Dostour reporter, Sahar Zaki, to a year in prison, together with Sa3eed Mohamed Abdallah Suleiman the lawyer who filed the original lawsuit quoted by Al-Dostour‘s article. Three other reporters were released on a LE10,000 bail, pending their appeal.
The article, published 5 April 2005, Issue 55, included accusations by the lawyer against Hosni Mubarak, Suzan Mubarak, and Gamal Mubarak of “waisting the country’s resources” by “selling the public sector for a cheap price, … squandering foreign aid.” Suleiman demanded, in his lawsuit, that the president “returns LE500 billion to the treasury.” He also accused the president of turning the “Arab Republic of Egypt into a monarchy” and “replacing the constitution with State Security rule.”
Mubarak has usually been a favorite target for criticism on the weekly tabloid’s frontpage.
There will be a press conference in the evening at Al-Dostour’s office, 7pm, 29 Tanta St., 3agouza.
UPDATE: CPJ has issued a statement denouncing the court verdict. Continue reading Journalist sentenced to one year in prison for “insulting” Mubarak

Activism Calendar

MONDAY, 26 JUNE
The Egyptian Association Against Torture is organizing a conference, from 6pm to 9pm, at the Press Syndicate, to mark the International Day Against Torture.
At 7pm, the Society of Sheikh Imam’s Fans will hold a music memorial for the legendary people’s singer, also at the Press syndicate.

Meanwhile, Kefaya, Socialists, Workers for Change and labor union activists will meet at 7pm in the Center for Socialist Studies, to discuss strategy and tactics for the coming national labor unions elections, scheduled 20 August. The meeting will be open for the press. The center is located at 7 Morad St., in Giza. The center’s director, Kamal Khalil, and other recently released detainees will be attending the discussion. Continue reading Activism Calendar