07 February, 2009

Protestors demand release of Philip Rizk


Activists, teachers, and students gathered outside the public prosecutor's office in downtown Cairo today to demand the release of Philip Rizk, who was detained by state security yesterday after a police crackdown on a solidarity March for Gaza.

At the same time, a delegation of lawyers and activists entered the prosecutors office to file charges on the kidnapping of Philip by three state security officers. This was mainly a symbolic act of course, since the legal system in Egypt doesn't bring much to bear on the workings of the police state - as one of the officers present at the demo admitted when he asked one of the of activists: "But why are you going to a judge, what can he do?"

The prosecutor refused to confirm where Philip is being held, but said it is "90 percent certain" that he is at the state security HQ in Cairo.

Students and teachers are planning another protest tomorrow, Sunday, at the AUC new campus at 12.30.

For more updates, check Hossam al-Hamalawy's links.

1 comment:

  1. Ah! so this is why Philip did not show up this afternoon. He must be a bad criminal, why otherwise would security pick him up?

    Jos Strengholt
    Maadi

    ReplyDelete