Here’s the latest post he sent from prison today, and here is another one that includes his thoughts/rantings about a post-Hosni Egypt.
The Center for Socialist Studies, whose director Kamal Khalil is currently detained in Tora Prison, is organizing a series of weekly events too…. Continue reading Activism Calender
Nora Younis, Wael Abbass, Malek Mustafa (one of the bloggers recently released from Tora), 3amr 3ezzat, Yehya Megahed, Shahinaz 3abdel Salam, and others.
The lecture will start at 7pm. The Center’s address: 7 Mourad St., Giza.
Nadda al-Qassas, Rasha 3azab and Ashraf Ibrahim, spent last night in Dokki, Bassateen, and 3abdeen police stations, respectively. Continue reading Police stalls detainees’ release
Darwish, the son of a Jewish jeweler, devoted his life to working class issues. He, together with veteran lawyer Ahmad Nabil el-Hilaly, led a split from the underground Egyptian Communist Party (ECP) in the late 1980s, protesting Ref3at el-Sa3eed’s authoritarian command over the organization. Darwish and Hilaly formed a faction inside the ECP around 1984, denouncing el-Sa3eed’s revisionist views on Mubarak’s regime and the state of Egyptian capitalism. El-Sa3eed then claimed there were divisions within the regime, between the institution of the presidency, which he claimed represented the “progressives” (sic), and other institutions like the interior ministry, etc. El-Sa3eed also claimed there was a difference between “parasitic” capitalism and “patriotic” capitalism. The job of the Communists, he stated, was to support the latter against the former.
The two veteran activists also opposed el-Sa3eed’s drive to merge the ECP with the licensed Tagamu3 Party. They were careful to outline the limits of “legalism� in the Egyptian context, and the necessitiy for the Egyptian working class to organize itself independently in a revolutionary party.
The faction finally split from the ECP sometime between 1987 and 1989, forming the People’s Socialist Party (PSP), which maintained presence in Ain Shams University, Cairo University and some industrial centers.
There was also a debate within the left then on the position towards the rising Islamist giant. El-Sa3eed’s line on Islamism regarded the Muslim militant groups as “fascists,” who should be repressed by the government at any cost. Thus, during the 1990s, the Egyptian Communist Party foolishly allied itself with Mubarak’s regime in his “war on Islamic fascists.” Continue reading Youssef Darwish passes away
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
Students, then, spearheaded mass demos in 1971-73, calling for war against against Israeli occupation forces in the Sinai peninsula, and campaigning for social and political justice for Egyptian citizens. Continue reading Legendary 1970s student leader passes away
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.
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
Activists Asmaa Ali, Ahmad Abdel Gawad and Ahmad Abdel Ghaffar, are to be released, ruled the prosecutor in Heliopolis this afternoon. Meanwhile Alaa Seif al-Islam, Nada al-Qassas, and Rasha 3azab, were given another 15 more days in prison.
The six pro-democracy detainees initially refused to leave the prisoners’ trucks, charging the State Security prosecutor of complicity with State Security police, and requested to be investigated by a magistrate. The detainees later reversed their position, up on the request of their lawyers, who attended the interrogations with them.
In another development, Mohamed el-Sharqawi’s lawyers and seven rights organizations have issued a new statement, with more details on the Youth for Change activist’s recent interrogation, the release of the two detainees, and the crackdown on the hunger-strikers in Mazra3et Tora prison. Sharqawi, himself, also sent another letter from Tora, explaining what happened on Saturday at the prosecutor’s office.
Nael Abdel Hamid and Ihab Mahmoud, who were picked up on April 24, were told by the State Security prosecutor they were free to go, though it’s expected their actual release won’t happen before tomorrow. Ahmad Maher, Yasser Isma3il and 3adel Fawzi, were ordered by the State Security prosecutor to remain in Tora prison for another 15 days.
Mohamed el-Sharqawi was also referred to the State Security prosecutor in Heliopolis today. Twelve rights lawyers were waiting for Sharqawi, but only two attended the interrogation session with him: Ahmad Seif al-Islam, director of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, (and father of detained blogger Alaa) and activist lawyer Amir Salem. The lawyers said they, as well as their client, were expecting an investigation into his torture would take place today, but they were surprised to find out the prosecutor wanted to interrogate Sharqawi only about his refusal to be referred to the forensic medical authorities on Thursday.
“Sharqawi was solid,� said Ahmad Seif. “He refused to be interrogated by the chief State Security prosecutor, who is the same person who interrogated him on his first night of arrest, and who refused to provide him with medical help. Sharqawi protested, and asked to be investigated by a magistrate. We stayed in the room for only ten minutes, after which Sharqawi was returned to Tora once more.�
On another front, news is trickling from Tora prison that the detainees in Mahkoum Tora have ended their hunger-strike on Thursday. There is no news about the fate of the five detainees who were moved to solitary confinement in Mazra3et Tora. Lawyers Seif al-Islam and Gamal 3eid expressed their concern about the five, after they heard they were badly beaten by the Interior Ministry’s Special Operations officers who supervised their transfer. Gamal Abdel Fattah, according to the two lawyers, was seen by other detainees being brutally assaulted.
It is clear the government is confused about how to handle the current situation. The abuse scandal snowballed its way to the regime’s backers in the West, who regard it as too much of a bad PR, and sure the Egyptian government wants to control the damage, but what can it do? Releasing the detainees, means dissent is back on the streets. Keeping them in prison, means continued bad publicity for Mubarak abroad. So, the brilliant security impresarios are coming up with a compromise: release some, renew the detention of others, and re-detain those who were released but haven’t learned their lesson, like Sharqawi and Sha3er.