Emergency and the Poor Fateeh 

Uncle Hussein Abu Oweda {U.H} is a poor farmer in a village called Kafer Eneba. His family is consisted of the mother called Om Fateeh (Fateeh’s mother), two sons and one daughter. He owns three kirats and breeds a buffalo and some hens and ducks. He isn’t ever concerned with the political issues that when anyone in the café or the mosque talks about any political issue, he nods with his head saying “leave the life for its creator!!”. Moreover, when he finds the political speech of the surrounding people increases, he leaves them at once not because he is afraid but he doesn’t care. When one of his friends says to him, “it is really important speech”, he answers as a philosopher, “they told Goha that the fire is in your street then he answers while it is far from my house so it isn’t my own business”.
The eldest son of {U.H} is called Fateeh, who works either in his father’s land or in others’. At the end of the day, he is used to going to the mosque to listen to the prayers then he goes to set with his father on the café. The second son works in the land in the morning while at the afternoon he works as an office boy in a lawyer office.
One day, {U.H} waked up on a strong knocking on the door at 3 am when he saw about 30-armed persons who asked about Fateeh. {U.H} had no solution but pointing at his son Fateeh who was slept on the ground. They caught Fateeh strongly asking him about his cupboard. Then he answered that he had only a sack (where he put his clothes), accordingly, they began to search in the all sacks without any result. Finally, they asked him about his weapon and secret publications but he didn’t realize the meaning of their speech. Then they took Fateeh threatening his father not to inform anyone about what he saw if he wanted to see his son again.
After a month while {U.H} was in his scary silence, the neighbours began to ask about Fateeh who disappeared suddenly. Therefore, {U.H} couldn’t bear to be silent for more time so the friends advised him to ask about his son in the police station. In the police station, the officer told {U.H} that he had no idea about his son. In the investigations department, they advised {U.H} to search for his son in the prisons. Therefore, {U.H} began to wander the whole prisons without any result. After awhile, they advised him to ask in the Security State Authority so he asked the lawyer {L} for assistance. {L} went to the authority, when they informed him that they had none called Fateeh and he might escaped from his family. Consequently, {L} presented a kidnapping & unreasonable detention communiqué before the prosecutor general. Two days later, they received the answer that he was imprisoned in the district’s jail.
- {U.H} asked {L} about the charge of his son
- {L} answered, “there is no charge”
- {U.H} asked {L} if he would attend the court session?
- {L} told him that there would be no session or case
- {U.H} wondered, “there is no case, charges or sessions, so why do they arrest him!!?”
- {L} explained to {U.H} that he was arrested with the virtue of emergency law imposed by the government by which it could arrest anyone anytime without any accusation.
- {U.H} commented, “it is unfair. How does the government punish innocent people?? Even if there is critical problem in the State, is it reasonable that the government arrests the people until solving the problems”. He added, “problems … problems, we are so poor in our village. How can I believe, the poor Fateeh becomes dangerous for the public security!!”
- {L} commented, “It is unfair, there is no reason in our county that pushes the government to apply the emergency law; moreover, we, judges, syndicates and parties ask for its deletion because it violates rights of the Egyptian people”.
- {U.H} said, “they don’t hear for your demands although you are aware enough about the law, aren’t you?”
- {L} said, “unfortunately, there is one party that supports this unfair law”
- {U.H} said, “what a party that calls for arresting the innocent unfairly!!”
- {L} said, “it is the governmental party [the national party]”
- {U.H} asked, “What is the relation between the national party and my son Fateeh?”
- {L} answered, “it isn’t Fateeh only, there are more than fifty thousands arrested inside the jails without any accusations”
- {U.H} wondered, “What did they do?”
- {L} answered, “nothing, it maybe because one officer dislikes someone, one person expresses his thoughts or has a political activity or even a spectator wants to reveal that he is active”
- {U.H} commented, “God bless our country Egypt, damn for the government and such party”
- {L} said, “we will present a grievance for Fateeh in addition to informing Freedoms Committee in the syndicate and human rights centers that will be concerned with this case. While there are government and unfair law, there are opposition and human rights centers”
- {U.H} asked, “what does grievance mean?”
- {L} answered, “the law stipulates our right to complain after one month for the detention, consequently, there will be a session through which the court will hear for our grievance and issue its sentence that may be deletion of the arresting decision. But unfortunately, the emergency law gives the minister of interior the right to object the court’s verdict that may lead for continuity of the detention for more 15 days till the court examines the objection reasons depending on which the court issues its sentence with either refusing or accepting our grievance”.
- {U.H} wondered, “does it mean that the court may retreat in its decision” then {L} answered, “unfortunately, yes”
- {U.H} asked, “what will happen if the court doesn’t accept the objection?”
- {L} responded, “in fact, I’m not sure about Fateeh release”
- {U.H} said, “why? It is supposed that he will be released after the court’s refusal for the objection decision!!”
- {L} said, “it is true but the investigation department could arrest him for one or two days and issue a new order of detention. You know, there are some people that the court sentences with their release for more than fifty times along their detention that continue for fifteen years”
- {U.H} asked, “who has the authority the court or the investigations department?”
- {L} answered, “it is the God, who has the authority. Unfortunately it is the emergency law. Anyway, we will do the best and God bless us”
{U.H} wandered in the streets saying, “what a pity, I used to be far from any problems, suddenly, I chocked with the emergency, the poor Fateeh and the fifteen thousands arrested. It is a critical catastrophe!!”. One of the neighbours asked {U.H} about his worse condition when he answered that it is worse condition of the country, emergency, investigations department and government. The neighbour asked {U.H} to slow down his voice that he is scare to be heard, then, {U.H} shouted, “Damn silence, it seems that the fire is in our houses and we don’t know!! Fire is in our houses!! Fire is in our houses!!”
Do you know?
- The British colony applied the emergency law in Egypt in 1923 to protect the occupation forces from the public resistance.
- This autocratic law has been implemented since 1923. The emergency state is deleted only for one and half year along the 80 years of emergency.
- Under the umbrella of emergency, there is no importance for judicial sentences, constitution or regular laws.
- There is no justification for continuity of emergency state that according to the international conventions for human rights (there is no natural catastrophes, wars or dangerous political riot that may be the reason for such emergency).
- The emergency law gives the government the right to seize and violate peoples’ rights to demonstration and free-expression.
- Moreover, it gives the government the right to arrest any person without any accusation. The government used to allege with the existence of terroristic actions to continue imposing the emergency state but there wasn’t any of these actions along the 15 past years.
- You.. and me could easily be arrested with the virtue of this law. This law gives the government the validity to present the people before irregular courts (military or emergency courts).
- The emergency law is illegal and unconstitutional that contradicts with the international charters undersigned by Egypt.