Police ban engineers’ protest

Posted on By 3arabawy

I received a statement from the Democratic Engineers, denouncing the police crackdown on their protest two days ago.

Thousands of engineers were planning a demonstration in front of their syndicate on Tuesday 4pm, to protest the continuing government control over their syndicate, which has led to an actual total freeze on its activities.

The syndicate came under the siege of hundreds of Central Security Forces troops and plainclothes Gestapo agents, who banned the engineers from approaching their syndicate, and left the small number, who managed to cross the security cordon, surrounded completely.

How’s Emad, by the way?

Posted on By 3arabawy

I have to say I’m really disappointed by the lawyers and investigative journalists who are handling/following Emad Kabeer’s case.

Where the hell is Emad now? I heard yesterday from a blogger that Emad had been transferred to Damanhour Prison. Is that true? Why Damanhour Prison which is far away from the eyes of his family and lawyers in Giza and Cairo? Why hasn’t the lawyers been updating us about the guy’s condition in prison?  It is as if his case was closed and forgotten since he was sentenced to three months in prison for “resisting authorities.”

Every single one involved in the case had expressed concerns about Emad’s safety in prison when he was sentenced in January. Rights activists expressed fears of Emad being intimidated in prison, away from the world’s eyes, so as to either drop the case against Captain Islam Nabih, or change his story.

Al-Masry Al-Youm today, thankfully reminded us of Emad’s case, by publishing the minutes of the Prosecutor’s interrogation of lawyer Nasser Amin that took place last 25 November.

But that’s not enough! Hell, if we can even get daily updates about Emad’s condition in prison, then do it! To our journalist, lawyer and rights activist friends, do NOT forget Emad, and do NOT leave us in the dark here. Keep us updated please.

HRW denounces MB military tribunals

Posted on By 3arabawy

Human Rights watch blasted Mubarak’s regime’s plans to try Khairat el-Shatter and his colleagues in military courts, in a statement today. The NYC-based rights watchdog insisted the Egyptian government “should release the hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association.”

UPDATE: Socialists as well as other political activists have started collecting signatures from public figures, intellectuals and political celebrities from all tendencies, denouncing the military tribunals and expressing solidarity with the MB detainees. I’ve received the petition, and the names that signed already, but will postpone publishing it till the campaign organizers give me the greenlight, with more names being collected.