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Tuesday
20Mar2007

Police ban demo; bloggers kidnapped

Today's protest against Mubarak's authoritarian constitutional amendments was banned by the police.

Kefaya blogger Malek Mustafa was kidnapped around noon. He's currently detained in a blue car, with license plates no. 865171, full of police informers, parked in front of the American University in Cairo.

Kefaya blogger Malek (Pic by Hossam el-Hamalawy)


There are also suspicions that another leftist blogger, Mohamed Gamal, and journalist Mohamed Abdel Qodouss were kidnapped. I'm still trying to confirm that.

GemyHood and Asad (Pic by Hossam el-Hamalawy)


[Bloggers Mohamed Gamal (L), and Asad (R) during anti-torture meeting, Photo by Hossam el-Hamalawy]

UPDATE: It's 4:10pm now.. Malek has just been released. No word on Gemyhood or Abdel Qodouss.

UPDATE: It's 4:30pm now... Gemyhood called. He's released! He said he was kidnapped by police agents, together with activists Hisham Tuleib, Fathi Farid, and Hagg Gergess, in el-Qasr el-'Eini St around noon. The officers did not beat them, he said, but they showered the detainees with verbal abuse, before stealing their money and cigarettes, and locking them up in one of those blue prison trucks, that kept on moving around for more than four hours. When the detainees banged on the doors when they needed to go to the toilets, the police officers threw them a glass bottle to piss in it without leaving the truck.

UPDATE: Mohamed Abdel Qudouss was released, according to leftist journalist and activist Khaled el-Balshi. Abdel Qudouss was also locked up in a police car, said Khaled. None of the detainees today were taken to police stations. Basically the police took everyone on a cruise.

UPDATE: Click on the cartoon below, designed by GemyHood, to read a report by Ikhwan Web on today's demo...

Mubarak the enemy of bloggers


UPDATE: Photographer and friend Amr Abdallah has some photos of the clashes that happened at the Press Syndicate today. After the crackdown on bloggers and protestors in Qasr el-Eini St., activists managed to re-assemble in front of the Press Syndicate in Abdel Khaleq Tharwat St. to demonstrate. Click on the photo below to go to Amr's flickr account...

Scuffles between demonstrators and Mubarak's troops in front of the Press Syndicate (Photo by Amr Abdallah)

Reader Comments (2)

Any news on Abdel Qodoos?

March 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterNora

He was released

March 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterHossam el-Hamalawy

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