The SOAS union branch executive has agreed to send this letter of protest about the Mahalla 3 to the Interior Minister and the Egyptian Ambassador in London:
SOAS University and College Union (UCU) Executive calls for the immediate release of the three workers from Ghazl al-Mahalla textile factory detained by the Egyptian authorities on 6 April, and all others detained during the protests that day. We are deeply concerned by reports that Kareem al-Beheiry, Kamal al-Fayyoumy and Tareq Amin were tortured in custody and that their health has deteriorated while in detention in the Bourg el-Arab prison.
We wish to express our solidarity with our brother and sister workers in Egypt who are fighting to defend their living standards. We call on the Egyptian government to recognize the right of Egyptian workers to organize trade unions free from state interference and intimidation.
Graham Dyer,
UCU, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London