مركز هشام مبارك للقانون

Stay At Home Call and April 6 Clashes


How Egypt received April 6?!
Cairo, the usually busy city, with all its crowds of citizens crisscrossing streets and its traffic jams with cars honking indiscriminately all day, and the shops which never shut down their doors day or night, creating an endless noise that reaches the heavens… all these features of the "Cairo" which we know have disappeared on April 6! The city is calm, the streets are empty and most of the shops are closed. The most visible feature of Cairo today is that of the security forces, either in plainclothes or in official uniforms, and of the central security trucks which are located in the centre of the city.

Mahalla al-Kubra, the northern industrial city, has been turned into a military barracks in which the security services clamped down every inch of the well-known labor city. Not only had the streets cordoned off, but also the Mahalla's textile plant was raided, under cover of darkness, by security personnel in plainclothes at 3.00am to stop the third shift and thwart the intended strike. Like Cairo, El Mahala streets were empty except for security personnel. The empty streets have asserted the popular response to Stay at Home call.

The Stay at Home call has witnessed a great popular response in Alexandria where security personnel have cordoned off the railway Misr Station and turned Al Manshia neighborhood into a military barracks in an attempt to abort the lawyers' demonstration scheduled for 12pm in front of Al Haqania Court. Taking pre-emptive measures, the security staff arrested four activists.



The Day of Action:

About 25,000 workers at Misr Spinning and Weaving Company in Mahalla al-Kubra has announced as early as January that they would stage a massive strike on 6 April if their ongoing demands for improved wages and labor conditions were not met. The 6 April labor threat had snowballed into calls for a public nationwide strike spread via SMSs, blogs and websites, especially the Facebook. These calls had been crystallized into the "Stay At Home" call, which spread nationwide.

Due to the danger that supposed to surround the April 6, 2008 strike action and the security measures, which could be preemptive measures or tough crackdowns and violent confrontations, the Hisham Mubarak Law Center along with some human rights organizations had decided to create a legal front defending the would-be demonstrators in case of arresting them. The Front consisted of The Hisham Mubarak Law Center; Al Hilali Society for Liberties (Bar Association); The Democratic Lawyers Group; Al Hilali Association for Liberties; the Freedom of Thought and Expression Association; The Egyptian Association for Promoting Societal Participation; the Mahalla Lawyers Committee.

The protests were sparked when security forces raided the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company in Mahalla during night shift in an attempt to thwart the planned strike. Due to the split occurred between the strike leaders, the security personnel succeeded in separating the night and morning shifts, a matter that undermined and aborted the would-be strike.
Around 4pm thousands of workers and residents of Mahalla neighborhoods converged together in Shon square, Mahalla's main square, and went on a demonstration. The protestors condemned the high prices that swept nationwide and went on chanting anti-government slogans and demanding an end to soaring price rises of basic foodstuffs.
In ensuing violence, thousands of demonstrators allegedly threw stones at security personnel, burned railway track and tires and clashed with police. Further, on Monday the protesters tore down a billboard picturing president Hosni Mubarak. The security forces succeeded in dispersing the protestors using batons, tear gases and rubber bullets. On the other hand, security forces succeeded in dispersing a demonstration organized by the workers of Al-Nil for Nile Transport Company in front of the ministry of labor forces. The company's workers, about 500 workers, gathered in protest against ignoring their demands, and nobody was arrested.
The violence had been culminated in shooting dead a 15-year-old boy Ahmed Ali Mabrouk Hamada. According to the Ministry of Interior, 111 people were injured, including 41 security personnel.

April 6 had led to arresting a number of people. Here is a list of those arrested and held nationwide until 7.00pm April 6, 2008. For those who were released their names will be attached with the sign**.

Those arrested in Cairo:
no
name
place
no
name
place
1
Muhammad al Ashqar
Giza
2
Muhammad al-Sharqawi
Sheikh Zaid
3
Fathy Farid
Tahrir
4
Muhammad Abdel Qodous
Down town
5
Rami Yahia
Tahrir
6
Ahmed al Gizawi
Cairo
7
Bahaa Saber
Down town
8
Muhammad Ali
Unknown
9
Ibrahim Fouad
Tahrir
10
Maleq Mustafa
Manial
11
Akram al Irani
Manial
12
Ahmed Said
Manial
13
Hassan Abdullah

14
Ahmed Badwi

15
Israa Rashed

16
Shady al Adl

17
Muhammad Fouad

18
Muhammad Awad

19
Sarah Abdel Razeq

20
Sarah Fakhry

21
Ahmed al Hawari
Abdeen
22
Omar Ahmed
Abdeen
23
Muhammad Sotohy

24
Abdullah Yehia

25
Magdi Hussein

26
Diaa al Sawi

27
Mohammad Hamad

28
Ahmed Abdel Gawad**

29
Mahmoud Abdel Latif

30
Muhammad Abu al Magd

31
Sarah Abdel Galil

32
Login

33
Nadia Mabrouk

34
Magdi Qrqr

35
Shehata Muhammad al Sifi
Helwan University
36
Ahmed Al Sayyid
Helwan University
37
Isam al Sharif**
Nasr City
38
Abdel Nabi Muhammad
Giza
39


40



In Alexandria:
No
Name
Place
No
Name
place
1
Al Sayyid Ahmed Foda
Alexandria
2
Muhammad Saad al Wisamy**
Alex
3
Qotb Hassanein
Alex
4
Hazem al Wikeel**
Alex
5
Ahmed Magid
Alex
6
Ahmed Muhammad al Sayyed
Alex
7
Ahmed al Iraqi Nasar
Alex
8
Safwan Muhammad Farghly
Alex
9
Kamal al Sayyed Ahmed
Alex
10
Salah Ahmed al Sayh
Alex
11
Ayman Izz al Din
Alex
12
Muhammad al Sayyed
Alex
13
Maher Sherif
Alex
14
Musad Salem
Alex
15
Naglaa Fawzi**
Alex




In Mansoura:
No
Name
Place
No
Name
Place
1
Osama Kamel
Mansoura University
2
Ayman al Gohri Salam
Al Nasr mosque
3
Ahmed Amin

4
Ahmed Muhammad Gom'a

5
Ahmed al Falah

6
Muhammad Mikawi

7
Hamid Rezq

8
Dr. Salem Salam

9
Kareem Saleh and 16 others

10
Muhammad Owni

11
Muhammad Abdel Salam

12
Ibrahim Tawfeeq

13
Ibrahim Saleh

14
Ibrahim Abdel Salam

15
Ibrahim Omar

16
Omar Khatab

17
Ahmed Muhammad al Qorshi

18
Ahmed Muhammad Osman

19
Samy al Manzlawi

20
Hossam Kamal

21
Abdel Fatah Kamal

22
Khaled al Demary

23
Walid al Husseini

24
Ahmed Abdel Sadeq

25
Amgad Abdel Al

26
Ihab

27
Tareq al Barbari

28
Abdel Latif Mahmoud

29
Yehia Mahmoud

30
Muhammad Mustafa al Sayyid


In Kafr al Sheikh:
No
Name
Place
1
Sameh Hassanein
Balteem

In Damanhour:
No
Name
No
Name
1
Adel al Atar
2
Alaa Fakhri (Kefaya)
3
Said Abdel Maqsoud
4
Atef Badran (Tagammu party)
5
Hisham al Gendi (Tagammu party)
6
Omar al Hasawi (Nasserite)
7
Gamal Moneeb (Nasserite)
8
Ahmed Milad
9
Ahmed Moneeb
10
Mos'ad al Deep
11
Baha'ie al Bastawesi
12
Ayman al Hoofi
13
Isam Gowida
14
Redah Saleh
15
Muhammad Barania
16
Muhammad Abdel Wahab
17
Haleem al Gendi
18
Tareq al Said
19
Hossam Hussein Younis
20
Taher Abo Sha'ra
21
Yahia Abo Sha'ra
22


In Port Said:
No
Name
Place
No
Name
Place
1
Islam Nagy
Port Said
2
Muhammad Abu al Nasr
Port Said


In Mahalla:
No
Name
Place
No
Name
Place
1
Rami al Minshawi
Mahalla
2
Kamal al Biyommi
Mahalla
3
Tareq Amin al Sonosi
Mahalla
4
Wael Mustafa
Mahalla

In Gharbia Osama Muhammad Hassan attended before the general attorney and held in custody for 15 days in charge with distributing leaflets.

On April 7, 2008 most of those arrested had been brought to the General Prosecution Office and after a long day of investigations extended to dawn the Public Prosecution Office adjourned the interrogations held in many governorates to the next day. Though the defendants had been brought from custody, the prosecutors in different locations decided to turn them back without holding the determined investigation session. All lawyers waiting for the decisions had been told to get them from the relevant police stations in a precedent considered the first of its kind. The decisions taken can be summarized as follows:
Mansoura:
Out of the 30 people arrested, 16 were released directly from police station and the other 14 who attended the prosecutor's office were released, too.
Damanhour:
 Out of the 21 people arrested, 7 were released directly from police station while the other 14 who attended the prosecutor's office were remanded in custody for 15 days.
Giza:
Out of the 2 people arrested, one was released directly from police station while the other who attended the prosecutor's office was remanded in custody for 15 days.
Cairo:
 Out of about 41 people arrested, 15 were released directly from police station. And out of the other 26, who attended the prosecutor's office, 3 were released and 21 were remanded in custody for 15 days while the whereabouts of other detainees is still unknown.
Alexandria:
The six detainees attended the prosecutor's office were remanded in custody for 15 days. They reported to lawyers that 61 others are still held in Kom al Dika central security detention.
Balteem Prosecution Office remanded 7 people into custody for 15 days.

In Mahalla some citizens reported that about 320 people are held in Mahalla's two police stations and state security building. At the same time, the Public Prosecution Office had paid a visit to the place to collect facts and to continue investigations but the demonstrations staged in front of police stations in protest against random arrest had adjourned investigations. Once again more clashes have erupted between security forces and people.
In the same context, Dr. Samy Francies and lawyer Tamer Adwar were arrested in Mahalla.

To defend the large numbers of arrested, the Front delegated 25 lawyers to join others in Mahalla city.

On Wednesday April 9 a police force raided the home of George Isaac, a leading Kefaya activist. The police personnel searched his home and arrested him.

Further, the prosecutor charged Isaac with plotting popular assembly in complicity with others with the purpose of assaulting people, public properties as well as using force and violence with the purpose of influencing public authority. So, according to the aforementioned charge, the Public Prosecution Office accused Isaac of the following charges:
The premeditated sabotage of buildings and public properties with the purpose of enforcing chaos and resisting authorities, disrupting and jeopardizing the safety of public traffic, setting fire to residential buildings and shops, looting, and assaulting others.
Finally, Isaac was released on LE 10,000 bail, pending the results of further investigations.  


Finally, in a joint statement the International Federation for Human Rights and Hisham Mubarak Law Center called upon the Egyptian Authorities to:
1) Cease immediately all assaults on civilians and residents in Mahalla;
2)  Ensure that those already in detention are allowed to meet with lawyers and that charges against them are clearly made explicit;
3) Open an investigation on the repression which occurred in Mahalla.
4) Meet with representatives of the Mahalla Textile Company to discuss their concerns and needs, especially that this is the second strike organized by the factory workers;
5) Answer the questions of the Peoples' Assembly about the   developments in Mahalla and the harsh repression of peaceful demonstrations of civilian populations.