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Hossam el-Hamalawy

Dozens demonstrate against Mubarak’s ruling party congress

Posted on 18/09/200625/12/2020 By 3arabawy

Few dozens assembled with difficulty in Tahrir Square, under immense security presence, to demonstrate against Mubarak’s National Democratic Party’s congress that’s starting tomorrow.

The sit in, organized by Kefaya, should have lasted till the following day, as the ambitious organizers of the event were hoping. However the heavy police presence that prevented groups of demonstrators to assemble, in addition to the weak turn out to start with, meant this was not possible at all.

On my way to Tahrir, I spotted seven Central Security Forces trucks full of conscripts parked in front of the Arab League, and five other trucks and three police vans in Qasr el-Nil Street. (I’m sure there were loads of other trucks parked all over downtown as usual, but I couldn’t spot them where I was.) The center of the square was already occupied by regular police conscripts in white uniforms. Plainclothes security agents could also be seen virtually everywhere.

Anti-Mubarak demo, Tahrir Sq

Only a crowd of at best 70 activists, mainly from the Revolutionary Socialists, Ghad, Karama, and independents, managed to assemble. They were cornered by a CSF ring in the square at the beginning of Qasr el-Nil street. The demonstrators called for the release of political detainees, chanted against the Mubarak family, NDP, corruption, and chanted against the US as the sponsor of Mubarak’s regime, and against Israel, the regime’s ally as protesters put it. Some left wing demonstrators chanted calling for the “execution of the president on charges of high treason,” others called for his assassination a la Sadat.

The sit in was folded at 9:30pm, and demonstrators announced they will be meeting at the Lawyer’s Syndicate on Thursday 7pm for the Kefaya conference on constitutional amendments.

US overseas detention system numbers

Posted on 18/09/200623/03/2015 By 3arabawy

Some statistics from AP on the US-run global gulag…

A look at the U.S. overseas detention system that has developed since 2001:
NUMBERS OF DETAINEES
Iraq (Camp Bucca, Camp Cropper, Fort Suse) – 13,390
Afghanistan (Bagram air base) – Estimated 500
Guantanamo Bay – 455
NATIONALITIES
Iraq – U.S. command last year counted 325 “foreign fighters” but overwhelming majority Iraqi.
Afghanistan – Afghans, Arabs, central Asians, possibly others.
Guantanamo Bay – 48 nationalities (past and present), vast majority from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, Algeria, China, Morocco, Kuwait, Tajikistan and Tunisia.
CONSTRUCTION
Iraq – U.S. Army opened $60 million detention center in August at Camp Cropper, near Baghdad’s airport.
Guantanamo Bay – This fall U.S. Navy plans to open new $30 million maximum-security wing.
DETAINEE ABUSE
Allegations – About 800 investigations of alleged mistreatment in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Punished – More than 250 service personnel punished, many via loss of rank or pay, or discharge from service.
Courts-Martial – At least 103
Convictions – 89 service members convicted; 19 sentences of one year or more.
DETAINEE DEATHS
Total Deaths – At least 98 in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, as of February.
Homicides – At least 34.
Unknown/Undetermined Causes – At least 48.
Prosecution – Punishment in 14 death cases.

The Victorious Lie

Posted on 17/09/200602/02/2021 By 3arabawy

Does anybody remember the “Victorious Group?” That first of its kind “Salafi Takfiri” group in Egypt a la Zarqawi style, as the state-owned press and self-described counter-terrorism pundits told us?

These were 22 young Egyptians, picked up last April. The security then proudly stated that “Information, documents and interviews … confirmed that they were studying carrying out terrorist operations against tourist targets, the gas pipeline on the Greater Cairo ring road and some sensitive sites through bombings,… They were also studying targeting some Muslim and Christian religious figures and … what they called degenerate youth in tourist areas.”

The arrest of that “group” was announced–surprise, surprise–11 days before the extension of the emergency law.

Some pro-democracy activists, who were detained last spring for their solidarity with the Egyptian judiciary’s fight for independence said they met “Victorious Group” guys during visits to the State Security prosecutor. One of them, leftist blogger Alaa Seif, wrote the VG suspects appeared to have received brutal tortured by State Security agents, to extract confessions.

Well, guess what? The State Security Prosecutor has just dismissed the case saying the evidence is bogus, and ordered the release of the 22 men.

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