I’ve just returned from Tanta. The Mahalla 49 trial was adjourned till 1 September. Here’s a statement from the rights groups coalition that is defending the prisoners.
I’m gonna post my report and some photos later, coz at the moment I’m very exhausted from traveling, and I’m honestly devastated after hearing the prisoners’ shrieks, in the court cage, hour after hour detailing the police torture and abuse they faced in custody.
I received the following statement from Amnesty International:
On the eve of the trial of 49 people for alleged involvement in violent protest, Amnesty International calls on the Egyptian authorities to stop trying individuals before special emergency courts that flout basic guarantees for fair trial. The organization also urges the authorities to open immediately a thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the defendants’ allegations of torture.
Forty-nine individuals accused of taking part in violent protests, including nine workers and other craftsmen, will stand trial before the (Emergency) Supreme State Security Court in Nile delta city of Tanta, north of Cairo, on 9 August 2008. They are being tried on account of a range of charges, including assembly of more than five people with the aim of disturbing public order and security, deliberate destruction of public and private property, ransacking and theft, violent resistance and assault on police officers during their duties and illegal possession of firearms. Five of them believed to be on the run will be tried in their absence. They face up to 15 years’ imprisonment, if convicted.
On 5 April 2008, the government banned all demonstrations in advance of a general strike planned for 6 April in support of industrial action by textile workers in Mahalla, some 120 km north of Cairo. Thousands of police and security forces were deployed in Mahalla, Cairo and other cities. Although the industrial action planned by textile worker in Mahalla was called off after negotiations with officials and under pressure from the government, violent protests broke out in the city against the rising cost of living. At least three, including schoolboy Ahmad Ali Mabrouk, were killed by bullet injuries and dozens were wounded due to excessive use of force by security forces, many of whom were also injured. Some 258 who were arrested during the clashes were all released later without charge.
The 49 who are now facing trial were arrested between 13 and 18 April 2008 after the clashes in Mahalla. Following their arrest, the defendants were blindfolded for up to nine days. Many allege that while held initially at the State Security Investigations (SSI) offices in Mahalla and later at SSI headquarters in Lazoughly in Cairo, they were beaten, given electric shocks and threatened that their female relatives would be subjected to sexual abuse.
When they were brought before the Public Prosecutor on 21, 22 and 23 April, their lawyers complained about the torture and other ill-treatment to which the accused were allegedly subjected. However, no independent investigation is known to have been opened into these allegations. The main pieces of evidence used against the defendants are “confessions” allegedly obtained under torture that they had thrown stones at the police as well as the testimonies of witnesses, all of whom are members of the security forces or government officials. Some of the defendants also said that they had not participated in the protest and had witnesses to confirm their statements. Although the Public Prosecutor heard some of these witnesses, he dismissed their testimonies as baseless.
The Egyptian authorities have a right to establish law and order and prosecute those responsible for violence; however, while doing so they must not curb peaceful protest and the rights to freedom of expression and assembly as protected under international law. Those protesters found not to have used violence must be released immediately and unconditionally; the others must be given a fair trial in accordance with Egypt’s obligations under international human rights law and standards.
All the defendants remained in detention until 2 June when the Public Prosecutor ordered the release on bail of 20 of them, including a 58-year old woman. Nine of those released were immediately rearrested under emergency legislation by orders of the Minister of Interior. All those in custody are currently held in Borj al-Arab Prison, near Alexandria. On 6 June, the Public Prosecutor referred their case for trial before the emergency court in Tanta.
They are the first to be tried by an emergency court following the Egyptian authorities’ renewal of the state of emergency in May 2008. Emergency courts are special courts established under emergency legislation. Amnesty International’s research shows that they use evidence obtained under torture and other ill-treatment to secure convictions and their procedures routinely fall short of the basic guarantees for a fair trial. Furthermore, judgements by emergency courts cannot be appealed and become final after ratification by the President.
Amnesty International is urging the Egyptian authorities to rescind the decision to refer the defendants to the emergency court and order a retrial before an ordinary court and ensure they receive a fair trial.
The authorities must also open a full, independent and impartial investigation into the killings in Mahalla which left three dead. In particular the investigation should focus on the circumstances in which police used lethal fire and ensure that any officers or other officials responsible for using or ordering excessive force should be brought to justice.
From Stop the War Coalition, UK…
Press release: 7 August 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
Trade union leaders, human rights campaigners denounce Egyptian “show trials”
A delegation of human rights activists and trade unionists will hand in a petition to the Egyptian embassy in London today, 7 August, calling for the release of 49 Egyptian citizens arrested in the wake of workers’ strikes and protests in the industrial city of Mahalla al-Kubra in April.
The 48 men and 1 woman are facing trial this Saturday (9 August) in the Emergency High State Security Criminal Court, which is described by Human Rights Watch as a court “where procedures violate fair trial rights”.
Human rights campaigners following the case in Egypt have told us that if convicted, they expect sentences of 6 – 10 years (although the relevant articles of the penal code allow much longer sentences including life imprisonment in some cases).Mark Serwotka, leader of the civil servants’ trade union PCS, Journalists’ Union leader Jeremy Dear and campaigning human rights lawyer Louise Christian are among the signatories to the letter which condemns the Egyptian government for using testimony extracted under torture in the case.
==============================================
Notes to editors:
Delegation to the Egyptian Embassy in London – Thursday 7th August, 4.30pm
Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, 26 South Street, London W1K 1DW
For more information contact cairoconference@stopwar.org.uk
For more information about the trial see this solidarity website organized
by campaigners in Egypt: https://abtalelmahalla.blogspot.com/ (English translation at bottom of page)
On allegations that some of the detainees have been tortured and testimonies of torture from others detained during the same events in Mahalla and since released please see this report by Human Rights Watch.
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/07/18/egypt19391.htm=================================================
Solidarity with the people of Mahalla
Stop the show trial of Egyptian protestersWe the undersigned express our full solidarity with the 49 Egyptian citizens, whom the Mubarak regime has decided to prosecute in an Emergency High State Security Criminal Court, accused of involvement in the two day uprising in the Nile Delta town of Mahalla in April. On the 6th and 7th April, Mubarak’s troops occupied, Ghazl el-Mahalla, the biggest textile mill in the Middle East, home to 27,000 workers, aborting a strike announced by the independent Textile Workers’ League in protest at spiralling food prices and to demand a raise in the minimum wage which has remained stagnant since 1984.
The troops used live ammunition, tear gas, water cannons and sticks against the peaceful protesters in the town who took to the streets after the crushing of the strike. At least three were killed, and hundreds were injured and detained. The 49 detainees face a list of trumped up charges, to which some have confessed under torture. They will be tried in an exceptional court, systematically denounced by human rights watchdogs for lacking the international standards for a “safe and just trial.” We call on the Egyptian dictatorship to release them immediately.
Mark Serwotka, General Secretary, Public and Commercial Services union
(PCS), UK
Jeremy Dear, General Secretary, National Union of Journalists (NUJ), UK
Jane Loftus, President, Postal Executive, Communication Workers’ Union
(CWU), UK
Trevor Ngwane – Anti-Privatisation Forum, South Africa
Professor Alex Callinicos, King’s College, London, UK
Eamonn McCann, journalist and anti-war campaigner, Ireland
Richard Boyd-Barrett, People not Profit Alliance, Ireland
Lindsey German, Stop the War Coalition, UK
Chris Nineham, Stop the War Coalition, UK
James Eaden, National Executive, University and College Union (UCU), UK
Liz Davies, Secretary, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, UK
Richard Harvey, Bureau Member, International Association of Democratic
Lawyers
Louise Christian, Human rights lawyer, Christian Khan solicitors, UK
John Rees, Cairo Conference (UK)
John McDermott UNISON NEC, UK
Rob Owen, National Union of Students, National Executive, UK
Dave Lewis, National Union of Students, National Treasurer, UK
Katie Dalton, National Union of Students, Wales, UK
Susan Nash, National Union of Students, National Executive, UK
Beth Walker, National Union of Students, Vice President, UK
Ama Uzowuru, National Union of Students, Vice President, UK
Elizabeth Somerville, National Union of Students, National Executive, UK
Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy, National Union of Students, Black Students Officer, UK
Herbert Docena, Focus on the Global South researcher, (Philippines)
Professor Colin Sparks, Westminster University, UK
Professor Gilbert Achcar, School of Oriental and African Studies, UK
Professor Claudio Katz, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rebecca Branford, MoC, NUJ BBC White City, UK
Graham Dyer, President, UCU, School of Oriental and African Studies, UK
Donny Gluckstein, National Executive, Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS)
Penny Glover, National Executive, Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS)
Explo Nani-Kofi, African Liberation Support Campaign (ALISC)
Geoff Brown, Secretary, Manchester Trades Council, UK
Umut Kocagöz, National Executive Committee of GENÇ-SEN (Student Union of
Turkey)
Gözde Mutlucan, National Executive Committee of GENÇ-SEN (Student Union of
Turkey)
Zeliha Kabataş, National Executive Committee of GENÇ-SEN (Student
Union of Turkey)
Kıvanç Eliaçık, National Executive Committee of GENÇ-SEN
(Student Union of Turkey)
Simin Gürdal, National Executive Committee of GENÇ-SEN (Student Union of
Turkey)
Ozan Ersan (National Membership Organizer and International Officer),
GENÇ-SEN (Student Union of Turkey)
Donatella Binacardi, delegata sindacale SdL Intercategoriale, Italy
Reynaldo de Guzman, National Chairperson, Philippine Peace and Solidarity
Council
Karen Evans, University and College Union, National Executive
Karen Reissmann, Unison, Manchester Community Mental Health Branch
Jacques Bidet, Professeur émérite à l’Université de Paris-X
Sami Ramadani, Writer and academic, London
Sabah Jawad, Iraqi Democrats against the Occupation
Plataforma Aturem la Guerra (Stop the War Platform, Barcelona)
Guy Taylor, Globalise Resistance UK
Dave Barnes, National Executive, Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association
(TSSA)
And 570 other signatories. All signatures are in a personal capacity