Solidarity with CTUWS

Posted on By 3arabawy

The Administrative Court will look this Tuesday 12 June, into the lawsuit filed by the Center for Trade Union and Workers’ Services against the Cairo Governor and the head of Helwan Municipality, demanding revoking the decrees to close down the labor rights NGO.

The CTUWS has been a target for security crackdowns after the government blamed its activists of involvement in the recent wave of workers strikes. The Center’s branch in Naga’a Hammadi was closed down on 29 March, followed by the closure of the Mahalla branch 11 April, and finally the main office in Helwan 25 April.

For more details in Arabic, to download the CTUWS press release.

Express your solidarity by showing up at the State Council (Magless el-Dawla, Located in Dokki, Giza, besides the Cairo Sheraton) 9 am on Tuesday.

Abu Omar's wife banned from traveling to Italy

Posted on By 3arabawy

Abu Omar‘s wife and her son were banned by State Security from traveling to Italy Friday early morning.

Abu Omar at the Lawyers' Syndicate أبو عمر بنقابة المحامين

Nabila Ghali, 38, and 14-year-old Italian-born Muhammad Abdel Hakim were due to leave Alexandria today on a 4am flight to Milan via Athens, using their Egyptian passports.

“I’ve been trying to get permission from State Security for the past two weeks, without much success,” Abu Omar told me. “I called them up myself, and asked (lawyer) Montasser (el-Zayat) and Islamist leaders to intervene also on my behalf. Finally State Security Major Faisal in Alexandria, who is one of the officers assigned my case, told me it was OK, and that Om Muhammad can leave from the Nozha airport.”

When they arrived at the airport, however, Nabila and Muhammad were banned from traveling by State Security agents, who denied receiving permission form the bureau, either in Cairo or Alexandria.