Tag: detainees

Shia activist sentenced to 15 days in jail

Posted on By 3arabawy

Mubarak’s regime continues its bigotry:

A State Security prosecutor sentenced Muhammad El-Derini, prominent Egyptian Shia activist and writer, to 15 days in jail for publishing false information about being tortured in prison.
His son Ahmad El-Derini, a journalist at Al-Badil daily newspaper, told Daily News Egypt that the charges against him also included contempt for religion by following Shiism.
El-Derini was detained by the national security forces at dawn Monday. Ahmad told Daily News Egypt that his father was arrested by state security forces “who also confiscated all his writings, computer disks and CDs.”
The book referred to by the prosecutor who pressed the charges, explained Ahmad, was published 15 months ago. Titled “The Capital of Hell,” the book gave a detailed account of El-Derini’s jail experience in Tora. He claimed to have been tortured by officials during his first detainment in 2004.
About the second charge, contempt for religion, Hossam Bahgat, chairman of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) told Daily News Egypt that nothing in the Egyptian constitution criminalizes being a Shia or preaching Shiism.

MB Military Tribunals

Posted on By 3arabawy

I haven’t been blogging much about the MB military tribunals, coz I just don’t know what to say. Mubarak’s kangaroo court is turning into some gothic comedy: Fabricated terror charges; State Security officers who admit they never knew the detainees; International rights observers prevented from monitoring the proceedings; Outright theft and burglary of MB leaders’ personal belongings during raids… and now even the govt-brought financial experts testified that the money laundering charges are farce.

My solidarity goes to Khairat el-Shatter and all the political detainees in Mubarak’s gulag.

Downtown Cairo demonstrators under police siege; new round of arrests

Posted on By 3arabawy

Sandmonkey called me from in front of the Cairo Press Syndicate, where around 100 demonstrators are under siege by the police, who crackded down earlier on the Talaat Harb Sq solidarity demo, banning There are unconfirmed reports journalist Jano Charbel has been detained by the police, together with three others. I tried calling Jano, but his phone kept ringing and no one was answeringPolice troops also blocked the entrance of the building that houses Al-Ghad Party HQ in Talaat Harb banning activists from leaving the building to demonstrate.

UPDATE: It’s confirmed, Jano Charbel has been arrested, according to a message I received from the Sandmonkey. He says there are 200 people in front of the syndicate now demonstrating in solidarity with the Mahalla strikers, and calling for the release of the detainees.

UPDATE: Jano has been released. I’ve just spoken with him now. He says he and three other citizens were detained for over an hour near Groppi Cafe in Talaat Harb, and that earlier reports about them being taken to el-Tagammu el-Khames are not true. Jano added that police searched their bags and digital cameras, and when they found pix of the Mahalla strike on his digital camera memory card, they accused him of being a “modawwen” (“blogger”)! That one cracked me up. “Blogging” is a crime these days for Mubarak’s pigs.