9
In the anniversary of the International Women Day:
We miss freedom
Release Sarando women
LCHR adjures the President to release the women of Sarando village
Today the 8th of March, several women marches are launched, for example: we find Sao Paolo city is witnessing a march that includes more than 30 thousand women to express women problems and issues in more than 53 states, this march aims to acknowledge an international covenant that protects women rights under globalization.
Unfortunately, this day in Egypt is witnessing the detention of tens of women in Sarando village – Behira province in northern Egypt, in deferent detention areas related to the Ministry of the Interior, without any right to do so, they are just hostages so that their husbands turn them selves in (who are charged with dispute over agrarian lands owned to the state in the village) and from these women we can mention:
14. Ranya Samir El Sabbagh.
15. Rashida El Gizawy.
16. Ne’ma Hafez Abo Tolba.
17. Zahia El Agrab.
18. Samah Abdel Hamid El Garf.
19. Farhana Hafez.
20. El Sayeda Mohamed El Attar.
21. Rasm Ahmed Khallaf.
22. Zahra Saeed Abo El Ela.
23. Seham Saeed Abo El Ela.
24. Khadra Mohamed Zaki.
25. Aziza Mansour El Feqy.
26. Howaida Mohamed Mahmoud El Feqy.
The police forces have also arrested some children, and they are:
4. El Khadra Mohamed Zaki (9 years old).
5. Fatma Saleh El Shenawy (5 years old).
6. Somaya Saleh El Shenawy (2 years old).
And the children of Mrs. Aziza Mansour El Feqy:
3. Ahmed Ibrahim (5 years old).
4. Mohamed Ibrahim (2 years old).
The villager’s testimonies to the LCHR state that the police forces have tied every 2 women by their hair and tying their hands, in addition to inhumane and arbitrary practices against female farmers in the village.
These arbitrary and contradicting practices made by the Egyptian authorities come in the anniversary of the International Women Day, as the Egyptian authorities practice violence against women and humiliate them inside police stations, while there are big celebrations held in deferent Egyptian governmental halls to organize conferences about the governments’ achievements in supporting the rights, participation and development conditions of women.
Caring to protect the rights of Sarando women, LCHR is demanding the quick interference by the President to release the women detained in Sharnob and Sanhour police stations – Damanhour station – El Behira province, and guarantee their rights in life, freedom and persona; safety.
The Center is also demanding the Minister of the Interior to stop the campaigns made by the police forces in Damanhour against the women of Sarando village and the villages around it, and call Damanhour chief of police for questioning about the arbitrary practices against farmers (both male and female), issue his instructions to the officers of El Behira police station to apply the law and stop the campaigns of random arrests against women and children and guarantee their legal and constitutional rights in decent living and personal safety.
The Center also demands the National Council for Human Rights and the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood to quickly move for the aid of the women of Sarando women from the tyranny of some of the big owners, stop practicing violence against them by the authorities and release the detained women.
It is worth mentioning that today 8/3/2005, the prosecution of Damanhour station has decided to renew the detention period for the 7 farmers who are charged with trespassing on the possession of the ownership claimer for 30 more days, they are detained under misdemeanour no. 2825 for the year 2005, and yesterday 7/3/2005, 15 more farmers from Sarando village were detained for 4 days for interrogation, 3 of them were women under felony no. 5631/12 for the year 2005, they are charged with bullying and other charges because of some dispute between them and some of the ownership men in Damanhour station on the ownership of some lands.
Finally, under the march for protecting women rights crowned by the International Women Day, LCHR adjures al of the national and international organizations especially women foundations to unite in solidarity with the women of Sarando village and demand the officials in Egypt to stop the frightening campaigns and release the detained women to guarantee their rights in decent living and personal safety.