Updates from Mahalla: James arrested!

Posted on By 3arabawy

US photojournalist and friend James Buck has been arrested two minutes ago in Mahalla, where families of detainees are staging a hunger strike demanding the release of their loved ones from the custody of Mubarak’s pigs…

6:25PM: James is in Mahalla’s 1st Police Station, where many young men and children had been detained and abused since Sunday by Mubarak’s pigs…

6:40PM: Muhammad el-Attar, one of the factory organizers who sabotaged the 6th of April strike, and Mubarak’s Labor Minister Aisha Abdel Hadi exchange praise on TV. Attar also accused “communist groups operating in the Ghazl el-Mahalla factories” of creating troubles… Disgusting!

6:53PM: James’ mobile phone is dead. We need lawyers to go there as soon as possible, coz I don’t expect the US embassy in Cairo is gonna do anything for him… They are too busy sleeping with Mubarak and the NDP “moderates” in the same cozy bed…

7:55PM: I managed to get thru to James. He’s still detained inside Mahalla’s 1st Police Station, with his interpreter. Officers are intimidating him to handover the audiorecordings and photos he took earlier of the detainees’ families.

8:57PM: James and his Egyptian translator Muhammad Mar’ie are still in police custody. James says they are subject to intimidation. The police refuses his repeated requests to contact the US embassy in Cairo.. More worryingly, the police told James: “Forget about your translator… He’s a dead man!”

9:15PM: Police tried to arrest another foreign journalist again, a Japanese reporter who showed to interview the detainees’ families, but he managed to escape with the help of the local citizens. In other developments Journalist Amina Khairy, who was arrested yesterday when she tried interviewing the detainees’ families too, will be interrogated at the Tanta Prosecutor’s Office today on charges of “inciting riots” and “obstructing police work”!!

9:50PM: James and Mari’e are still in police custody. James, however, managed to speak to the US embassy in Cairo. The embassy woman who replied, told him: “There isn’t much I can do for you. I don’t know the laws in Egypt. If they [police] want your bag give it to them, or they’ll take it by force.” (Shokran ya Embassy for the advise and help!!!) The pigs are now going thru James’ bag as I’m writing, and having a look at his flash drive that includes the photos he snapped..

10:25PM: James and Mari’e are still in custody. Police is threatening to take Mari’e to the Tanta Prison. I have to leave the house now for my seminar. So I won’t be in front of the computer. Fellow journalists and bloggers, please call up James on +20168734415.. Stay in touch with him and don’t let him feel he’s alone in this. I’m gonna try to post any update I receive, while I’m away from the computer screen, on twitter.

9AM: I’ve been updating my twitter whenever I spoke with or SMSed James.. It’s Friday morning now in Mahalla… James has started a hunger strike demanding his release together with Mari’e… They were taken earlier to the Prosecutor’s Office for interrogation after police, according to Mari’e, charged them with “attempting to overthrow the govt.. and inciting riots”!!! The prosecutor ordered their release sometime after 2am, only to be kidnapped again by Mubarak’s pigs as they were leaving the Prosecutor’s building at 2:30am.. The two are now illegally detained in Mahalla’s 1st Police Station. James has already missed his flight back to California, scheduled this early morning.

9:28AM: There’s a lawyer now inside the police station with James and Mari’e. Police has offered again to release James while keeping Muhammad in custody. James refused, and still insists on not leaving the station without his translator.

10:05AM: SMS from James: “Thanks so much for the tireless work and all the support everyone! Got a few hours sleep but will continue hunger strike til both free. Bless you all”… This was followed by another: “Police stations talking about big demo planned today in mhala after noon prayer. Be very careful in mhala may easily get arested”

10:26AM: Gotta say that’s a good one: “Mhala police off. Asked me, i haven’t slept in years. They make us work 24 hours no food. Not enuf pay. What i should do? I said strike.” Our friend Ibrahim el-Hodeiby expresses similar sentiments.

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Comments (5)

  1. I am the assistant risk manager at UC-Berkeley. We are doing our best to get a lawyer to James as soon as possible.

  3. I am a student at UC Berkeley and a friend of James. Please do not call James unless it is absolutely neccisary. His cell phone is very low on batteries and it is crucial he have access to it to speak to those working to assist in his release. Thank you.

  4. I am Lorenzo Lee, visiting scholar this year with Hossam. My deepest wishes are with James.
    I’ve learned about his mishap today in visiting scholar seminar during which Hossam told a vivid reality of what’s going on in Mahalla and Cairo.

    Even though it’s like trying to break the rock with eggs, it will eventually surrender to the repeated ceaseless hits of the eggs. History has proven that!

  5. I hope James and all the other arrestees in Mahalla and around Egypt will be okay. Is there anything that can be done here in Berkeley to assist?

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