CAIRO,
October 24, 2008 (ANHRI/IFEX) – The Egyptian security apparatus is
conducting an aggressive campaign against bloggers and Internet
activists in many cities around Cairo, the Arabic Network for Human
Rights Information (ANHRI) reports.
Christian blogger Hani Nazeer Aziz, who is based in Gena and owns the blog "Kariz Al Hub" (
http://haninazeeraziz.blogspot.com), has been targeted. They are also persecuting several Islamic bloggers, including Mohamed Khairi, who is based in Fayoum, (
http://garshkal.blogspot.com), Husam Yahia, whose blog is called "The Voice of Liberty" (
http://sotelhoria.blogspot.com), Mohamed Adil, whose blog is "dead" (
http://43rab.info/meit ), and Bilal Alaa, whose blog is called "The Country
is Ours" (
http://khabta.blogspot.com). Both Mohamed Adil and Bilal Alaa are from Al Gharbia City and Husam Yahia is from Al-Daghlia.
The security apparatus arrested two of Hani Nazeer Aziz's brothers on
the first of October and used them as hostages to force his surrender.
On 3 October, he was informed that security officers were also going to
arrest his sisters to put more pressure on him to give himself up. He
turned himself in on the same day. Since then, he has not been seen,
and ANHRI learned only on 22 October that he had been detained under
emergency law, which is the usual way in which the ministry of the
interior deals with innocent people whom they want to detain without
bringing charges against them,
Mohamed Khairi, the man who set up the Garshkal blog and a student in
the faculty of engineering at Cairo University, was arrested in a
surprise dawn raid on his home on 22 October, when his computer and
paperwork were seized.
The other three bloggers mentioned above, Mohamed Adil, Bilal Alaa and
Husam Yahia, all had their homes raided by the security forces. All
three managed to avoid arrest, either by escaping or by being
forewarned of the arrival of the "dawn visitors" (policemen from the
state security department).
Gamal Eid, ANHRI's executive director, issued the following statement:
"It is no coincidence that the launch of a state security campaign
against Egyptian bloggers happened at the same time as one of their
colleagues was honoured by receiving an international award for human
rights activism. The Egyptian government will never forgive bloggers
for their key and consistent role in exposing numerous legal and human
rights violations. As well as a reaction to their role in advocating
for democracy in Egypt, the crackdown is also a response to the message
of the Human Rights First award, which supports and encourages the
efforts of Egyptian bloggers."
Renowned Egyptian blogger Nora Younis has received the annual human
rights award from a prominent US-based organization, Human Rights
First, (
https://secure.ga1.org/05/support_heroes_hp) for her extraordinary efforts defending human rights issues and advocating for the democracy movement in Egypt.
The arrest of Hani Nazeer comes in the wake of his criticism of a
recently published novel, "Azazil", which was perceived by Egyptian
Christians to be an attack on Christianity, to the point where some
Christians published a counter attack on Islam called "Azazil in Mecca".
Instead of finding solutions to reduce the sectarian tensions between
Muslims and Christians that exist in some areas of Egyptian cities, the
authorities have found it easier to apply the security solution and to
utilize emergency law to arrest the Christian blogger, an action which
ANHRI believes has aggravated rather than soothed sectarian tensions.
The other bloggers, who were Islamic, were arrested and their houses
were raided as a punishment for their contribution to the people's
relief caravan that headed towards Gaza on 6 October to break the
blockade imposed by occupying Israeli forces. This was a purely
humanitarian gesture to show solidarity with the Palestinian state,
which lies under the burden of occupation, a situation to which the
Egyptian government at best turns a blind eye, and at worst is
complicit.
ANHRI asserts that these bloggers have not committed any crime or
broken any law. Any slight respect for the values of law and democracy
should lead to legal and appropriate solutions for these problematic
scenarios. Emergency law will never manage to deter Egyptian activists
from forming and broadcasting their opinions.
For further information contact Gamal Eid, Executive Director, ANHRI,
Apartment 10, No. 5, Street 105, from Midan al Hurriya, Al Maadi,
Cairo, Egypt, tel/fax: +202 2 524 9544, e-mail:
info@anhri.net,
gamal4eid@yahoo.com, Internet:
http://www.anhri.net/en/
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of
ANHRI. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please
credit ANHRI.
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