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Prisoner in Borg EL-Arab attempting to commit suicide
Officials… Where are you?
Stop prejudicing fishermen and Egyptians
Till when will you take people who committed no fault to jail, and use law of emergency against innocent people who know nothing but fishing for their livings? What did those fishermen committed to pack Borg el-Arab jail by them?
Relatives of prisoners in Borg el-Arab jail asked us so many questions. In our turn, we, Land centre, ask the officials the same questions, hoping that we can find an answer from them. Land centre received tens of stories from prisoners and from their relatives in so many regions; Manzala, Brollos, Edko, Maadeyya, green island (Al-Jazeera Al-Khadra), Abo keir, urging for help against the prejudice, and asking, till when will we remain in jail, and till when will law of emergency be applied on us? Although those fishermen were referred to the judiciary that declared them to be innocent, although they complained against arrest warrants, where emergent court of state security ordered to release them; those fishermen still don't know why they are still under arrest. The centre receives complains everyday that reveals the lamentations and tears of mothers, pity of wives and young girls, where they ask the centre to do anything could help in releasing their sons, husbands and fathers. We submitted tens of complaints, on behalf of the prisoners' relatives, to minister of interior, minister of justice, the office of attorney general, people's assembly, press association, attempting to let official of this country, who are responsible for protecting its security, hear the families' voices. The families' voices are heard by nobody. They keep asking, are there any officials in the country other than inspectors, and police officers? If there any, why don't they release our prisoners who were sent to jails for no fault or judicial decision? Those families say that they went to the political committee of the NDP, the ministry of foreign affairs, the office of UN in Egypt, but no one investigated the families' complaints, or told them why the law of emergency is applied on their innocent sons and husbands.
The centre had filed complains of the relatives of the detainees to the international institutions, but no one of the official did pay attention to them. Therefore, we understood what the detainees relatives meant when they asked "Are there any officials in the country other than police inspectors and police officers?" What can those victims do while decision makers are not listening to them? Hundreds of detainees who were released by the D.A. and acquitted by courts, recognized under the Egyptian judicial system, are being, repeatedly, arrested by police officers and inspectors without committing any fault. Mother of one of the detainees, a student called Islam, visits us everyday. She says that Islam, the student in Technology College who was arrested in 30th May, 2009, didn't commit any fault. All what he did was working to help them in living. She screams saying that police officer told her "you will not see him again". She added that Islam went through hunger strike to make police officers and inspectors release him, but they made fun at him and threatened to detain his mother. Islam tried several time to commit suicide, but his prison mates saved him before his death.
Another lady is mother of Menshawy Beheiry Salem, from Brollus center, Kafr El-Sheik governorate. She says her son was arrested, two years ago, when he was 18. He was the head of our family, afforded the costs of my life and the life of his sisters, after being divorced from his father. "Beheiry was a fisherman", his mother said. "Did fishing become a crime in this country?" she asked. She asked what he had been supposed to do to feed us. She screamed saying where she can go, she has no body but god and the center. She said "tell the officials about our pains, or they became cold blooded with no mercy, or there have been no officials in this country".
Land centre, in its turn, feels deeply sorry that file of detaining fishermen and youth, where government keeps accusing them of fake charges after being acquitted by the court, is still opened.
Tens of stories, files, grievances, reports, and complaints pack the legal unit of Land centre. Tears of mothers, children, and wives of the fishermen are shed in the floor of the center. They scream daily to us if it is their fault that they were born in the era of this clean and wise government. They ask also if it is possible to arrest poor citizens, who seek reputable job opportunities, while NDP leaders, in their last conference, gave their fake statements of the raise of rates of incomes and freedom.
The center of the earth urges officials and decision-makers, regardless of their position, to show mercy to the tears of mothers, sons and wives of detainees in Borg Al-Arab, who were falsely accused of facilitating the illegal travel of young people abroad. The Egyptian courts declared they are innocent. Courts ordered for them to be released on the occasion of sacrifice day, so they can continue their lives and protect their families from homelessness, poverty. This court decision meant to reclaim their believes of their right to live as decent human who deserves rights set out in international conventions, the Egyptian Constitution, and laws. Therefore, he can live decently in security and freedom.
For more information, please contact the Center