251

Victims' families scream!! Help ... We need to be listened in our country.. We need our sons back.... We complain to god those who prejudiced us. Ministries of interior, foreign, labour force and immigration boycott, while European Union monitors

Land Centre of Human Rights held a workshop entitled "meeting with unorganized immigration victims' families" in cooperation with Liberties committee of journalists bar last Wednesday 30/9/2009, where 170 relative of jailed persons from governorates of Damietta, Kafr El-Sheik, Beheira, Dakahleyya, Gharbeya, Sharkeyya, Alexandria, Matrouh, and Fayoum attended that workshop.
First session, headed by Mr. Mahmoud Mourtada, chairman of alternative development centre, started by Mr. Mourtada asserting that unorganized immigration is considered as a big problem, where many victims' families suffer a lot of troubles and pains, asking families to hold together and work on submitting their cases in order to get their sons out of jails that they entered, in spite of being innocent by court decisions. Mourtada stressed, also, this case is categorized as a profound violations of freedom case, as arrest was unjustified.
In his opening speech, Mr. Mohammed Abdel koddous, the writer and head of liberties committee in Journalists bar, asserted the bar is always and forever will be the castle of freedoms, which supports the victim's families in this problem. He asserted also that dialogue is the beginning of solving cases.
Mr. Karam Saber, the executive manager of Land Centre of Human Rights, then spoke. He affirmed they support all victims of unorganized immigration since a long time, condemning ministry of interiors random illegal arrest of Egyptian youth, who went out to seek better life, and hurling them in prisons and jails for no fault, leaving homeless families behind.
Mr. Saber, also, denounced officials of ministry of interior ignoring of call for help from victims and their families. "Youth are forced to unorganized immigration seeking better situation, and endeavouring brighter present and future" Mr. Saber said. He added, when he asked a teenager about the reason of his immigration, the young man replied:"I want to succeed abroad. Here, I fail in everything; I fail to afford my family, to bring my son up, to help my family, to keep us away of humiliation. I want to seek success, even if I might die"!
Then, Mr. Osama Bedeir, chancellor of Land Centre of Human Rights, spoke. He harshly decried consecutive Egyptian governments and European Union policies as well, strictly affirming that they are, both, considered as a direct reason of the breakdown of tens and hundreds of victims' families. He said that both of them contributed in the spread out of this phenomenon, and they lead the Egyptian youth to go through it, mainly accusing Atef Ebeid's government of the dark image of the Egyptians' miserable situation. It was an inevitable result of applying international monetary fund and world bank agenda related to economic reform, which is in fact, economic deform.
Bedeir asserted that statistics issued by Egyptian government about poverty in Egypt, saying that Egypt has 5 million poor, is politicized and conflicts with United Nations annual report of Arabic region that says poverty in Egypt is 41% this year!!
Bedeir added, directing his words to family relatives, Egypt government is the reason of what we suffer now. It threw your sons in prisons and jails. He attributed the second reason to the racism of European states that always used to urge with human rights, and importance of its application, while it is the first to violate it when it contradicts with its interests.
He said that provision 13 of universal declaration of human rights states the right of transportation, even though European states ignore such a right by applying its racial policies.
Bedeir cleared that occupation periods consumed resources of Southern Mediterranean states for one and half centuries. He showed also that enrichment and development of European states was thanks to our resources, and that, European states, are still responsible for what they have caused for our countries. He added also that European states are morally responsible for deformity took place economic bases in our national economic sector, asking European Union for a partnership based on mutual interests, not abusing others.
He concluded his speech by blaming ministries of interior, foreign, labour force and immigration for their intentional absence from participating in this societal dialogue, which aims, prominently, the good for families of victims of such phenomenon and guaranteeing their rights for security and freedom. He denounced the attendance of European Union representative just as watchman.
The second session, leaded by Mr. Mahmud Mortada, included families of victims of unorganized immigrations, who testified about the miseries and pains of their children and relatives before, while, and after being randomly arrested by national security forces. Testimonies revealed the dark side of Egyptian regime, which pursued those victims, and hurled them in prisons and jails by applying laws of emergency, despite regime assertion that it will apply this law in terrorism cases only.
Those testimonies proves that Egyptian ministry of interior turns frenzy when it deals with Egyptian youth, whose sole concern is finding job abroad as they lack it home.
Families mentioned that many of them turned to be beggars, while others were exposed to delinquency because the only person who affords their livings is missed.
Families cried with tear:"Help us!! We need any one in the country to listen to us, we need our sons back, this is injustice, we ask god to help us against injustice".
On his turn, Professor/ Yahiya El-Jamal, Professor of law in Cairo University, clarified that the problem has three dimensions; mainly the absence of idea of just development, clearing that there is no development in Egypt that has a room for youth and the unemployed. He added that Egypt witnesses a process of wealth accumulation in the hands of limited individuals, while rest of people, in millions, die or commit suicide; they are worthy nothing for the government. Where in Egypt, 20000 to 30000 individual of the 80 million Egyptian are rich, own everything, gather money and power, and support the ruling party in its policies that pour only into their interests.
El-Jamal asserted immigration requires well-trained and skilled persons, not ignorant and clueless who learnt nothing in schools and universities, intensifying on the fact that well-trained employment is considered as a good commodity that benefits Egypt, in case of good education.
He warned from collective eruption that is possible in Egyptian community soon, demolishing everything as true development is absent. "Concerns are all about Jamal Mubarak, Ahmed Ezz, and junta of beneficiaries, while others are worthy nothing" , El-Jamal said.
At the end of the workshop, attendants agreed that they will choose a date in the future to submit their pleadings to public attorney, and organize a protesting march in front of council of people, and inviting media, especially foreign media, in order to raise the level of their campaign, aiming to the release of the victims.
It is reported that number of Egyptian youth arrested by Egyptian police reached 1000 in 2008/2009.
For more information, please contact the Center