Saturday, March 26, 2011

FREE RADWAN


My friend, Mohamed Radwan, has been arrested in Syria!!

Radwan is an Egyptian engineer with an American passport. He works these days in Syria. The Syrian regime arrested him trying to convince Syrians that there is a foreign conspiracy against Assad. No poeple, don't believe him..

Spread his word, his story..

(I will update more about Radwan once I am able to pull myself together)

Egyptian Military Abuses Women Protresters With Virginity Tests!!

Serious allegations that the Egyptian military is applying "virginity tests" to women protesters they arrest from different protests. The testimonies came from different sources and yet, the army didn't launch an investigation till now.
These allegations of human rights violations by the Egyptian military are not the first. A lot of documentations of torture of protesters are available and collected by human rights activists and organizations. The systematic torture by military thugs are not stopping till now despite these reports!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Is A No-Fly Zone The Only Way To Help Libya?


Well, America is not that humans-loving! From our experience from Afghanistan and Iraq - the US never give anything for free or for the sake of humanity! So, when they go for a no-fly zone in Libya, there must be another thing than stopping Qaddafi from massacring the Libyan people!!

Put this in mind when you are thinking in the no-fly zone resolution the Security Council just made. This doesn't mean that I am a pro-Qaddafi or endorsing him. Qaddafi is one of the biggest criminals in the human history. I am with the Libyan revolution till forever.

Now, we need to think of something that enables Libyans to continue and succeed in their revolution without allowing western imperial powers to invade and consume Libya's resources in the name of helping the revolution! How can this be done?

Aids and arms need to be smuggled inside Libya, revolutionaries to go there if anyone interested in, hospitals to be opened for Libyan in Tunisia and Egypt. These are examples, I am just triggering a discussion and this can be updated later.

My only point for now is: this is not a only-two-options-available situation between Qaddafi or Western imperialism. There is a third option: to continue the revolution by ourselves...

Monday, March 14, 2011

Thousands of Students Protest in Mansoura Uni


Revolution is rocking inside Egyptian Unis. Thousands of students in Mansoura Uni protested today in campus demanding toppling of NDP-appointed president of the Uni.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Al-Jazeera Cameraman Killed After Gaddafi Forces Ambushed Them.. RIP

(Photo from Al-Jazeera)

Ali Hassan Al Jaber, a cameraman in Al-Jazeera team in Libya. The team was ambushed by Qaddafi's forces near Benghazi and he was killed. Ali was killed just because he was in a team that really works to reveal the truth of the revolution in Libya and massacres carried out by Qaddafi there. May him RIP...

Live Video Feed of Wisconsin Protests at Capitol

theuptake on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Egypt's Labor protests, again and again!!

Does anyone have an objection when we say that the revolution is not over yet and need to continue it? I guess the answer is no: it's not over yet.. We need to continue.

Good, what about the labor protests going on now?

The Egyptian people started their revolution, 40% of them at least was (and still) below the poverty line of $2 a day income. The day by day suffering of Egyptian families is still going on. So, middle-class talky talkers who go back home everyday to find their hot meals and a safe place to spend the night in don't really feel what kind of miserable life the workers are going through Let's agree on that.

Yes, yes.. I know the answer: we are in the middle of a revolution. When we are done with it, the system will be alright and the workers will automatically get their rights back. But, when the workers insist on the continuing their protests, they are stopping "the production wheel" and delaying the "progress of economy" (yea, they assume that the production wheel was running and the progress was on all the time!). OK, let's discuss this..

The business in Egypt can be logically divided into public and private sector. Let's go with private sector first. Here's the situation: Bunch of millionaires and billionaires who are making millions and millions every year and employing tens of thousands of workers who work under very stressful conditions and get paid almost nothing. Now, the workers want their rights back from the millionaires; they want more salaries ad better working conditions. Now, you are saying that you want the production wheel to go on? So, why the hell don't you ask those millionaires to pay the right of workers back to make them go back to their work and continue production?! It drives me crazy to find all people talking and attacking workers for their continuing struggle to get a decent life and not trying for once to blame and attack businessmen who are robbing their workers in the first place! You wanna the so-called production wheel to continue, talk to employers and millionaires not to poor workers for God's sake!

OK, now to the public sector.. Let's agree that the regime wasn't just Mubarak. Mubarak was the head of this corrupted regime but the real body of it is represented in every company, university and institution in Egypt. To topple this regime, we need to topple every head of every governmental institution. This is what the labor protests are doing now. Besides, if we wanna a powerful political life in the future, unions of workers and employees need to be formed everywhere. This is the main starting point and this can only be done by the ongoing struggles and protests. Another thing: let's assume that the Egyptian govt don't have enough money to implement the verdict of the minimum wage of 1200 LE (the truth is they have the money, they should move their asses and get money stolen by the corruption apparatus of Mubarak's regime; that would be enough!), why they don't adopt the verdict firstly and set a time frame to implement it to assure the workers that they will really get their rights back and this is not a game played against them as they used to!

The only thing I can't understand is that when everyone needs to take an attitude and say crap here and there, they attack workers and farmers! Those workers and farmers are the ones who make everything we use and every food we eat and they don't even got fairly paid for that. We can't be sitting on our asses; using what they make and eating what they farm and after all, attack and judge them!!

Yemeni police fire on protesters

Monday, March 7, 2011

Workers Struggle Continues in Egypt


Reports on labor protests from everywhere!

Protests among workers of the Egyptian postal, subway and mining services continued on Monday.

In the cities of Kafr al-Sheikh and Fayoum, Egyptian Post workers staged protests, demanding better salaries and bonuses.

Workers of the Subway Authority staged protests in Helwan. They wanted to substitute their temporary contracts with permanent ones. “The authority’s president had on 17 January ordered permanent contracts for us,” said Islam Ahmed. “But his orders were not carried out even though we have been working here for 15 years.”

Miners in the Baharia Oasis also staged protests. They demanded higher wages and better working conditions

In Minya, Coptic Christians on Sunday protested before the city’s security headquarters. They claimed they were denied elections cards and thus would not be able to cast their votes in the upcoming referendum on constitutional amendments.

In Ismailia, workers of the Suez Canal Authority staged protests for better salaries and bonuses.

Source

Cairo Uni Students Staged A Sit-in طلاب جامعة القاهرة يبدأون اعتصاما

Sunday, March 6, 2011

"America, Keep Your Hands Off Libya"

Video: Egyptian Military Attacks Protesters in Lazoghli Today

Video: State Security Underground Dungeons Discovered



Protesters, after storming into the State Security HQ in Nasr City, Cairo, discovered underground dungeons. The protester who uploaded this video footage describes it as:
Most underground cells are about 1x3 meters, with no light
To remind: this State Security HQ was known as "The Capital of Hell", a lot of detainees got tortured till death, this was one of the scariest places on earth...

Saturday, March 5, 2011

State Security Leaks: Egypt's regime cut a deal with US against democracy


One of the leaked documents from the State Security in Egypt describing a deal made between Egyptian regime and US administration to stop the American pressure on democracy and human rights issues in Egypt. The point highlighted by the red arrow in the document above literally say:
The regime managed to cut a deal with the American administration.. especially with their neglect to to the democracy and liberties issues as they are convinced that the American and Israeli interests in the region will e affected in case the ruling regime in the country changed.

State Security Leaks: State Security Planned The Attacks on Church in Alex

One of the leaked documents protesters found in State Security showing that the SS planned and implemented the attacks on Two Saints Church in Alexandria on the Christmas eve. The document is describing in details who, when and how to operate it..

Another Victory Day: Protesters Storming State Security HQ in Nasr City, Cairo

Afghanistan: US massacres nine children in air strike

(Photo from Boston)

AWIP reports the US massacre.. A video report is also available from Al-Jazeera.

On Tuesday, March 1, the US military massacred nine children in an air strike in Afghanistan’s northeastern Kunar province. The attack, which prompted mass protests, is only the latest atrocity in the region, coming less than two weeks after another attack left as many as 65 civilians dead.

Long live resistance, it's the only way we can prevent massacring our children and getting back our land...

From Tahrir...

(Tahrir sq., My photography)

Friday, March 4, 2011

Egyptian Actors Campaign To Free Amr, The Military-trialed Civilian Protester



Egyptian outstanding actors Asser Yassin, Basma and Khaled Abol Naga campaigning to free Amr al-Behery, the civilian protester who got arrested, military-trialed and sentenced for 5 years for forged accusations...

Revolutions Spread Globally: Armenia Strated To Say "No"!


The revolution spread everywhere! Armenians protested on March 1 against their govt...

"Those who make revolutions half way only dig their own graves"


Tahrir square.. (My photography)

Video: Underground Cells Discovered In State Security Building in Alex



After Alex's revolt against state security today...

Video: Inside State Security Building in Alex After Protesters' Take Over



A video from inside the State Security building in Alex after protesters took over it. The video shows tons of documents that have been shredded by State Security officers before they try to escape.

Egypt's Revolution: Brave Protesters' Stand Against State Security

(Photo from hassan Yahya)

Friday, March 4, 2011.. Great Alexandria...

The revolution is still rocking. Protesters across Egypt accomplished the second demand on their last by toppling Shafik's govt. They soon moved to the third one: Down with State Security..

The main theme in chants in today's protests were asking for the State Security to be dissolved. But, Alexandria revolutionaries took the initiative and decided not to only ask for it, they have to do it by themselves as true revolutionaries do!

A huge protest started moving to stage a sit-in in front in the State Security building in Fara'in area but the State Security thugs acted very violently. They opened live ammo and tear gas against protesters which lead to serious injuries of 3 protesters. The protesters decided then that they will not leave.

Reports say that the military stood without any interventions at first. But, after live ammo has been used, the army forces decided to take over. Which is good, the protesters decided that this is not enough. So, hundreds of protesters storm into the State Security building with army soldiers searching for State Security officers who have been shooting them.

I will keep posting updates as soon as I get them...

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Army's Real Face: Military Police Cracks Down Oil Workers Sit-in

(Oil workers protesting, my photography)

The military police cracked down a sit-in of oil workers in front of the Oil ministry in Cairo and arrested 20 workers. The workers have staged their sit-in demanding equality with other branches and companies of Oil industry.

This crackdown of the workers sit-in is another signal the army is giving us about their real face andattitude.. We need to carry on and continue our own revolution by ourselves...

Video: John Rees on Socialists and the Middle East Revolutions



John Rees on Socialists and the Middle East revolutions..

A Free World...

"This must be a world of democracy and respect for human rights, a world freed from the horrors of poverty, hunger, deprivation and ignorance, relieved of the threat and the scourge of civil wars and external aggression and unburdened of the great tragedy of millions forced to become refugees"

Nelson Mandela, Acceptance Speech of Nobel Peace Prize, 1993

Egypt's Revolution: Shafik is Down and We Get A New Lesson!


Shafik is down! God, that was fast!
All the kidding aside, now we have a confirmation of a lesson we already learned before and we learn a new lesson. Today is a practical confirmation of : people's insistence is invincible, there's no power in the world can stand against people's will. The new lesson is: We shouldn't get hesitated or affected by bourgeois counter-revolution attitude.
We should continue our way, insist on our demands till we get a complete victory.
This is our time, we need to fight for our all demands now.. We have the real chance now.. Now or never...

Viva La Revolución!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Military Real Face: Amr al-Behery Sentenced Five Years..

(photo by Mona Seif)

After the military arrested him on Saturday, February 26, 2011, the civilian young protester has been trialed in front of a military court and sentenced five years in jail. Amr was one of a large number of protesters who have been beaten by army in during their sit-in in front of the People's Assembly (the parliament) demanding the step down of Ahmad Shafik.
Despite Amr has been severely beaten(the photo taken by Mona Seif shows his injuries), he has been accused of insulting an army officer!!

The Egyptian army is now showing it's real face.. It's clear now that we need a REAL REVOLUTION, A REAL CHANGE!!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

From Unionists in US to Workers in Egypt: "Our Solidarity!"


A statement that has been circulated by US unionists in solidarity with Egyptian workers:

As trade unionists, we join our Egyptian sisters and brothers in welcoming the fall of dictator Hosni Mubarak. We salute the courage of the Egyptian people who have shed blood and endured many sacrifices in their struggle for democracy, which continues to unfold. The revolution has already inspired people from Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Algeria to Wisconsin to resist the same system of economic injustice and repression.

The roots of this revolution are in a decade of labor revolt against policies that made Mubarak the richest man in the world, while impoverished Egyptian workers earn 43 cents per day.

These workers toppled Mubarak and have continued to challenge a neoliberal regime of privatization, deregulation and union-busting engineered--and brutally enforced throughout the region--by the United States and its allies, taking many actions, including striking and forming new independent trade unions.

Moreover, Egyptians want an end to their government's complicity in U.S. wars of conquest in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and elsewhere, and in Israel's brutal siege on Gaza.

To keep these detested policies in place, Egypt has long been--after Israel--the largest recipient of U.S. military aid. Thus, while mouthing democratic platitudes, the Obama administration backed Mubarak to the very end, even allowing him to draw on the $1.3 billion in U.S. funding that killed more than 300 democracy protesters.

First, the U.S. and Israel sought to replace Mubarak with vice president, CIA asset and torturer-in-chief, Omar Suleiman--who has helped Israel to strangle Gaza, and openly threatened the revolution with a "coup." Now, it backs the army, which already has refused to rescind repressive emergency laws, has evicted democracy protesters from Tahrir Square, and has threatened to ban independent unions and strikes.

While Egyptians are standing firm, they need support to ensure that this revolution is not--like those in Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), the Congo (1961), Chile (1973), and so many others--drowned in a sea of blood by the U.S. and its client regimes.

Therefore, we demand that the U.S. cut off all aid to the Egyptian dictatorship--right now.

We also call on all supporters to immediately converge on Egyptian embassies, missions, consulates, and at U.S. government offices, in response to any further attack on the revolution.

We also join with millions of Egyptians to say:

No Mubarak, No Suleiman, No U.S. Puppet Dictator!
Don't Leave the Streets!
Support Egyptian Strikers!
Free the Political Prisoners!
Arrest the Killers and Torturers!
No Neoliberal Economic Austerity!
Open the Border to Gaza!
FULL REGIME CHANGE!

Revolution spirit everywhere: A general strike considered in Wisconsin

(Photo from Mark Danielson/flickr)

Democracy Now! reports Wisconsin workers protests:

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker is expected to propose deep cuts to the state’s health programs for the poor and aid to local governments. Walker has also threatened to start the process of laying off 1,500 state workers unless 14 Democratic senators return to the state and vote to refinance millions in debt. The Walker administration is coming under intense criticism for largely shutting off the State Capitol to protesters ahead of his speech..
Here is a live Twitter timeline to follow workers fight there!

Solidarity from Egypt, dear comrades!

Protests rocks Jordan..

Zimbabwe: Death sentences for discussing Egypt's revolution!


No, this is not a joke! A group of socialists might face death sentences after they have been arrested and being trialed for discussing Egyptian revolution!

Socialist Workers made a full report (Read it in Arabic here).. We need to help our comrades there, people.. Solidarity needed...