Year: 2008

Three Mahalla detainees released from Borg El-Arab prison

Posted on 05/07/200828/03/2015 By 3arabawy

Three detainees held since April in connection with clashes which occurred between demonstrators and security forces in Mahalla, have been released.
Defense lawyer Ahmad Ezzat of the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression told Daily News Egypt that Muhammad Salah Marei, Mostafa Bedeir El-Sayyed and Rageb Gaber El-Mahdy, who were being held in administrative detention in Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Prison were transferred to a police station in Tanta Friday, ahead of their release.
At time of press, he anticipated that they would be released later on Friday.
“I don’t know the reason why they were suddenly released today. There’s usually no logic involved in these decisions,” Ezzat told Daily News Egypt.
On April 6 and 7, 2008 violent clashes broke out between demonstrators protesting against increasing food prices and security forces. Hundreds of people were detained in the Delta town over the course of the two days.
Muhammad Maree was translating for American photojournalist James Buck on the evening of April 10 outside the Mahalla police station, where a large crowd of detainees’ relatives were protesting the detention of their family members.
While the unconditional release of both men was ordered by the public prosecution office later that night, they were re-apprehended and again detained in the Mahalla police station without charge.
Buck was subsequently released the next day, while Marei was taken to an unknown location before being sent to Borg El-Arab Prison where he remained in detention for nearly three months.

Marxism 2008

Posted on 04/07/200807/02/2021 By 3arabawy

Marxism 2008 opened yesterday. I was honored to share platform with leading IST comrades from Britain, Zimbabwe and Ireland.

The first event in the conference saw Comrade Simon giving a great presentation on Palestine and the central role to be played by the Egyptian working class in smashing the Zionist state.

I’m overwhelmed by the interest in Mahalla by virtually everyone I meet. The town is mentioned in literally every conversation I have with any one, and in any public talk about the ME.

Schools reject enrollment papers of Bahai children

Posted on 02/07/200807/02/2021 By 3arabawy

Sarah Carr reports…

Local schools are denying Baha’is the right to enroll their children, five months after an Egyptian court recognized the right of members of the minority religion to leave the religious affiliation field on birth certificates and ID cards blank.
Adel Ramadan, a lawyer with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) — which brought the case that was ruled on in January — says that schools are refusing to accept personal identity documents printed on paper.
Egypt recently replaced handwritten personal identity documents printed on paper with computerized ones, but the Ministry of Interior has reportedly been stalling on issuing them for Baha’is.
While under the system involving paper documents the religious affiliation field on birth certificates and ID cards could be left blank, a 2006 Supreme Administrative Court decision held that Baha’is had to either list themselves as Muslim, Christian or Jew (the only religions recognized in Egypt) or be denied the official documents necessary for them to access state services such as education and healthcare.
The effect of the policy was to force Baha’is to commit fraud by falsely listing a religious denomination in order to obtain the documents necessary for them to open bank accounts, apply for jobs and enroll in school.
The Administrative Court, which overturned this verdict in January, stated that even though Baha’is do not belong to one of the three religions officially recognized by the state, they enjoy the right to refuse to identify themselves as one of these religions. It also said that members of the Bahai faith have the right to access state services.
The Interior Ministry, however, has been slow in implementing the court decision and producing identity cards with a blank religious affiliation field.