Forfatter:
Destination Cairo
”Last call for flight number 786 to Cairo.” The transit area of Frankfurt airport is vast. Japanese, Chinese, German and English – people from all parts of the world going in different directions. The sense of a true global space rings in my ears. Not many have found their way to gate 44. We all look at each other as if asking:
Why on earth are you going to Egypt at such a time?
The cabin crew tries to cheer us up with mild smiles and earplugs. But as I sit reading Amnesty International’s documents trying to prepare myself for a week long mission to Cairo all I can think of are the human rights violations that have taken place in Egypt since the army took over effective control in February.
The first person who pops into my mind is 26 year old Maikel Nabil Sanad. He’s a blogger. A civilian sentenced in a military court. And his offence? Criticizing the Egyptian military’s use of force against protesters in Tahrir Square and his objection to military service. He went on hunger strike in August.
Two months later they transferred him to psychiatric hospital before again returning him to prison. Maikel Nabil Sanad’s health isn’t good after several months on hunger strike and he’s reportedly not getting the medical treatment he needs.
Unfortunately, Maikel Nabil Sanad’s story isn’t from the past. It’s the present, it’s Egypt’s right now. And as I think of Alaa Abdel Fattah, I know Maikel Nabil Sanad is not alone. A prominent blogger, Alaa Abdel Fattah was brought before military prosecutors on 30 October because he had openly criticized the army for investigating the events of 9 October when troops and riot police violently dispersed protests around the state television building, known as Maspero. That is, the army investigating its own actions.
I wonder how many bloggers like Maikel Nabil Sanad and Alaa Abdel Fattah are now being targeted in Egypt? How many new stories about outrageous persecution of freedom of speech will the mission team be collecting during the next week in Egypt? How many more will be added to the 12000 civilians already referred to military trials?
The sun has set. Flight 786 to Cairo is flying through the darkness and I am suddenly hit by the sentimental longing for the sight of Cairo from the sky that I remember from the first time I came to this gigantic, crowded and fascinating city to study many years ago. I remember the sight of the minarets dressed in light bulbs in all colours. It was like a fairytale.
“Marhabban!”- welcome – The welcome message over the loudspeaker is sweet. And yet the sweetness is marred by my knowledge of what is happening in Egypt now.
I glance down at the report on my lap, Broken Promises: Egypt’s Military Rulers Erode Human Rights, which in page after page catalogues how Egypt’s military rulers have completely failed to live up to their promises. They have done so again and I sadly think of the hundreds of injured and many dead in the last few days because the army and security forces yet again resorted to violence to disperse Egyptians protesters.
How is this different from what Egyptian protesters had suffered under Hosni Mubarak? The military council has tried to quash the voices of those who had gathered to demand their right to live in an Egypt free from violations and abuses under the rule of the military council.
And with these thoughts of the violent means of repression that are being used by the military and security forces I briefly think of my safety – should I be worried, especially as a woman? Will I also have to be worried of the risk of being sexually harassed like the two women, a journalist and an activist, we’ve heard about in the past two days? But I decide to push the fear aside knowing that we have a busy week ahead with our work already cut out for us.
I hand over my passport to the female security officer while she is speaking on the phone, apparently with a friend. She takes no notice of me and returns the passport without a question, not even a glance.
The mission in Egypt has started.
Ina Tin er kommunikasjonssjef i Amnesty International i Norge. Denne uka reiste hun til i Kairo sammen med Amnestys etterforskere i London for å overvære valget i Egypt på mandag, og dokumentere menneskerettighetsbrudd i forbindelse med det.
Hun rapporterer for hovedkontoret vårt i London, derfor er bloggen på engelsk, og “hot off the press”. Ina tvitrer løpende fra reisen, følg henne på Twitter: @Ina_Tin
Det er fortsatt ikke forsent å aksjonere mot overgrepene i Egypt. Send direkte epost til feltmarskalk Marshal Muhammad Tantawi og krev at han umiddelbart stanser de voldelige angrepene mot sivilbefolkningen.
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