The story of Elwan and the right to peaceful gathering 

Hag Elwan, one of the suns of a beautiful village in one of Egypt’s districts, a simple farmer with 2 suns and 10 karit of land from which he was living, opened his house for the people. The whole village loved him, he was called "Abu Nuwas" (after a famous poet) because they gathered with him every week, they spent the night, drank tea and smoked and told each other stories about every thing. Elwan, or "Abu Nuwas" was famous and the joy of the village. Everybody used to tell a story or problem and the others listened, and Elwan used to give comments and advises and he blamed and discussed.
One of these evenings one of the guys from the village complained about the circumstances among which he got his diploma 7 years ago. He was trying to find work without success, his family was poor and he had many brothers and sisters and the situation got more difficult and he did not know what to do. This evening all the words were about the circumstances of the people, the crisis, the unemployment and the government. Everybody had an opinion, everybody said a word and Elwan suggested something to them he should not have, to write a complaint to the governor telling him about the situation of the village and ask work for its children. And so they did. They took a paper and a pen and everyone of them wrote his story "Sir, this situation is very bad, we ended up without cloths to wear, by God this is bad, this is a responsibility of the government and we are also one of her responsibilities, and what can be done for our case.. etc." And it became a serious complaint. Important was, they sent the complaint to the governor and it was signed with signatures. The ones that could not sign used their finger or a stamp, there were 685 signatures consisting of signatures, fingerprints and stamps. Of course the stamp of Elwan was the first one. The complaint, o honourable reader, was sent and the people sat and did not have an other subject to talk about then this. Everybody had his problem and set his hope on the complaint. One of the villagers said, "When the governor receives the complaint my problem will be solved." And they counted the hours and the days waiting for the governors solutions for their problems.
Exactly ten days passed and the world turned upside down. God forbid that you think that the governor will do good and give work or solve problems, I will tell the one thinks that "You are wrong." After ten days around the hour of 2 after midnight, some men wearing suits, with them some soldiers, knocked on the door of your uncle Elwan, who woke up terrified by the knocking and opened the door while saying: "Please God let it be something good." And they entered without any warning or politeness. Between them a very short conversation took place:
- Are you Elwan?
= Yes I am sir.
- Good, we want you to come with us for only half an hour and then you will be returned.
= Inchallah, what is going on?
- Don't worry, just two words and you return directly, but hurry up.
The big man said this very quiet and decisive and turned his back to Elwan and pointed to the ones with him. The rest of the questions on the tong of Elwan turned silent. The men entered every place in the house and turned it upside down, investigating without further notice, making a mess and searching.
After that they stepped in a black car and they went with it without anyone noticing it. Elwan sat all the way thinking what he did wrong, what does the government want from him? Whole his life he did not hurt or insult anyone, there is nothing between him and the government. But why do they want him, is it possible that it is because of the complaint... "God... but after midnight, for what complaint they took me after midnight. What is the reason they want me for."
Elwan was still confused and thinking all the road long until they arrived at a big building at the govern ate with many guards. They entered the building, made him sit in a room, which they closed on him, without light, until the next day at noon. They opened for him and took him to an office with two men. Elwan tried to look normal, like there was nothing going on, but the truth was that from inside he was terrified and did not understand.
- How are you Elwan?
= Fine honourable sir.
- How are your children doing?
= They are kissing your hand sir.
- So where do you belong to Elwan?
= With God sir.
- God.. Are you from a religious, a communist or a human rights organization?
= What organization, I am a man concerned about himself; I do not belong to any organization.
- How are you concerned about yourself, what about the meetings that took place in your house.
= What meetings sir, I am not having any meetings.
- One of the two stood up and was angry.
= Don't fool us man, you look like a troublemaker and you will make us loose our time with you. It is better that you speak about everything now, because in the end you will speak.
Elwan realized from their words that he was accused of something that never came to his mind in his life. A member of an organization of human rights or political reform, my God, having meetings in his house, turning the people against the country and against the system of the government. And their investigation confirmed this. Not only this, they caught another nine from the village, that were attending the meetings and are members with him in the organization. Among them was the poor guy who had the problem of not finding a job, what a horrible night Elwan, where have all these problems been hidden for us.
A whole week they got him in and out offices with men of all types and colors who shouted, screamed, swore and hit. It was necessary that he confessed and signed his confession. In the end he did not find a solution then just to sign on what they want him to. And he stamped on the paper they brought to him to safe himself. The next day they sent him and the nine others to the prosecution. And there the prosecutor of the prosecution was full with questions until they fainted.
The day Elwan came out was a lucky day for him. The whole village was happy with his release, but also many of them feared to go congratulate, maybe they would be watched and become suspects. Other people said: "Maybe there truly was an organization." The situation of the nine men they took was the same. The people became afraid to deal with them. The idea of the gather place at Elwan, where all the people relieved themselves, saw each other, chatted and settled differences, complained to each other and listened to each other stopped. The people said: "We don't need this kind of headache."
When the people stopped by themselves to gather, relatives only visited Elwan when necessary. What happened to him made them afraid, because getting involved would lead to imprisonment and questioning.
Poor Elwan and his friends. Their only fault was that they gathered with each other and sat and chatted about their problems. And one of these days they got affected by the problem of this poor young guy and therefore wrote a complaint. As if the people were not in their right to sit with each other, talk, discuss and complain. People were prevented from doing so, because the one who talks with others and is sympathetic with others can start the next day to think about things bigger than this. And even if the government knew that he did not have any more aims, in brief, he will be a suspect in their opinion. People are supposed to mind their own business, either or they should speak about nonsense or keep their mouth shut completely, so that what happened to Elwan will not happen to them. This means, the government creates problems and the people have to carry them. It also demands of them to shut up and not to talk about them.
Of course at the end no lawsuits were filed or anything, because there was nothing to base a lawsuit upon in the first place. The whole situation was, that the government scared Elwan and want the people from the village to be scared, because the government itself was afraid that the people would gather, talk and discuss their problems. Today it starts with complaining and of course the complaint does not solve anything. But it is possible that they think about another thing, so let them not gather from the beginning.
Maybe they succeeded in scaring Elwan because he is a simple and poor guy that does not know his rights. But all of us have the legal rights as citizens to meet each other, gather with each other, discuss, think about our problems and how to solve them, without being afraid. "So tell me how this is our right?" "I will tell you, look:
The constitution gives us this right, subject 54 states:
Citizens have the right to private meetings, when quiet and not armed, and no previous notification is needed, the security men can not attend these private meetings...
Subject 47 states: They have the right to freedom of opinion and everyone can express and publish his opinion by speech or writing or photography or any other way." "What does all this mean?" "It means, that all the people in Egypt have the right to hold meetings at any time at their homes, clubs or companies as long as they are quiet and unarmed. And they don't need permission from anyone. The security can not attend the meetings. They also have the right to discuss entirely free and state their opinion free on whatever subject, because the constitution gives this right. Elwan did not commit any crime in the first place, when he was exercising his right. The crime is scaring the people, preventing them from practicing their rights and arresting them to make the whole country shut their mouth and be scared.
Not only the constitution states this, this is also an international announcement for human rights, which is an international treaty that Egypt has signed and confirmed. Therefore law regulates it.
Subject 20/1 states:
Everybody has the right to free participation in peaceful meetings and associations. And there is also an international treaty for civil and political rights, which is also an international treaty as the announcement.
Subject 21 states:
The right to peaceful gathering is admitted.
And all of this means our right to have meetings is legal and admitted both nationally and internationally. And so is our right to free thinking and expression of our point of view. All of them are basic rights for us and it is not the governments or anyone else's right to forbid us or prevent us from practicing them. Because of this, law cases that are started by the government in these things, are ruined and our right is confirmed more and more.
All of us still have something to say to Elwan: "You are a good and honest guy, don't be afraid you or your fellow villagers. And don't be afraid of each other or of practicing your right. Meet, gather, think and discuss and what the government is doing is empty bluffing, don't believe it or fear it. This is your right, hold on to it, because it is no ones right to deprive you of it. This how we can achieve a better life for us and a proper and human livelihood level."