By Victor Salama. Translated by Global Voices.
This post first appeared on Global Voices’ website on 29 November 2013.
Prominent Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah was arrested in his home at approximately 10pm on Thursday, November 28. An arrest warrant was issued for Abd El Fattah the previous Tuesday, following violent dispersal of protestors in Cairo. The blogger’s father told local media he believed the arrest was made under a new law effectively banning street protest in Egypt. At least 51 people were arrested that day, among them several prominent activists. Many were beaten and sexually harassed.
Alaa was taken by police despite having declared that he’d deliver himself to the police on Saturday, according to a statement he made and that his aunt, renowned Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif, posted on Facebook.
According to his wife, Manal, police used violent force when the arrest took place:
“Police broke into our house arrested @alaa and beaten me. They stole both our laptops and both our mobiles.”
— لا لدستور العسكر (@manal) November 28, 2013
“blood stains in our bedroom where police have beaten @alaa اثار الدم في غرفة نومنا بعد ان ضربته الداخلية ”
— لا لدستور العسكر (@manal) November 28, 2013
“If police already beaten me in our house, what are they going to do to @alaa . I fear for his safety.”
— لا لدستور العسكر (@manal) November 28, 2013
There is no known explanation of why the arrest took place today, given that Alaa had publicly stated that he would turn himself on Saturday.
Human Watch Egypt director Heba Morayef linked his arrest with the anti-protest law, drafted earlier this week:
Alaa’s arrest shows why MOI wanted this law w the vague language in Art7= to give them them the discretion to arrest any activist they want
— hebamorayef (@hebamorayef) November 28, 2013
Hesham Mansour offered his own ironic response:
ما تقولش مصر عملتلنا إيه.. قول مصر قبضت علي علاء عبد الفتاح كام مرة”
— Hesham Mansour (@Heshoz) November 29, 2013
Translation: “Don’t ask what Egypt has done for us. Ask how many times Egypt arrested Alaa”
Activist Mona Seif, Alaa’s sister, informed her followers of her brother’s detention location:
“اتأكدنا إن علاء في معسكر أمن مركزي اللي جنب الإدارة العامة لقوات أمن الجيزة على طريق القاهرة الإسكندرية الصحراوي. يا رب”
— Mona Seif (@Monasosh) November 28, 2013
Translation: “We are now sure that Alaa is being held in the CSF barracks in Giza, on the Cairo – Alexandria desert road”
Alaa Abd El Fattah was jailed under Hosni Mubarak’s regime for 45 days and again by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in 2011, when he remained in jail for almost two months. He also faced charges under Mohamed Morsi’s government in 2013, along with popular satirist Bassem Youssef, in what many perceived to be politically motivated charges used as an intimidation tactic. Each time, the #FreeAlaa hashtag has resurfaced to show solidarity. It seems that this is back on track.
