Sokari
On Friday 22nd January 2010, @blacklooks said:
#Wael-Abbas #Egypt #Blogger has been relentless and at the forefront of exposing torture and repression in Egypt constantly risking imprisonment and his life. He blogs at http://misrdigital.blogspirit.com/
"just to clarify at the moment he only needs to pay bail, he doesn't have to serve time until the case goes through the court of appeals.
this is very serious though, the authorities are constantly harassing wael. for years they've been waiting for an opporuninty to arrest or
severely punish him, but wael being both careful and highly visible made it very difficult to arrest him on an obviously political charge.
this case appearing as if it's a normal misdemeanor, and being presented as a dispute between neighbours that turned violent is precisely why it is so dangerous, it makes proving that the authorities
are involved much more difficult.
and despite the fact that it's a very common trick many activists and organizations (local and international) are wary of showing solidarity.
Please spread the word anyway you can and support Wael
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
as usual with these cases much of what needs to be done is in courts, what you can do at the moment is the usual:
1- contact your embassies in Cairo, pressure them to officially inquire and show concern. make it clear that you believe strongly this is apolitical case and not a criminal one
2- contact the egyptian embassy in your country and ask yourself about wael. again make it clear you are not buying the official story.
3- contact local and international media and journalists, ask them to cover the story. wael is well known and has been interviewed many times
but this particular threat is being ignored. explain to them that waelis not the only blogger or activist facing covert prosecution through
trumped up criminal charges.
4- contact NGOs and even governmental agencies concerned with human rights, freedom of expression, press freedom, digital liberties, protecting human rights defenders. make sure they know about the case
and understand the threats.
more importantly in situations like these one's morale tend to be very low, the feeling that he is fighting this on his own makes it even worse. your direct expression of solidarity and support may not
influence the courts but it sure is important for wael.
you should also try and learn more about the situation in egypt, wael is being punished for exposing the truth, by knowing and spreading this
truth you make sure he doesn't take these risks for nothing.
I wish I could say we can do more but the rest if left to his lawyers, not to worry too much though they're some of the best lawyers in the country, if he gets a chance for a real trial the verdict won't stand." @alaa
Short: http://tl.gd/4qn3e
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