Maikel Nabil Sanad - © Christopher Schwarzkopf

Maikel Nabil Sanad - © Christopher Schwarzkopf

Imprisoned Egyptian pacifist on hunger and thirst strike

International Day of Action preponed to 2 September

by Connection e.V. and DFG-VK Hesse

(31.08.2011) Due to recent developments, Connection e.V. and DFG-VK Hesse call to an Urgent Action for the Egyptian Pacifist, blogger and conscientious objector Maikel Nabil Sanad. Together with War Resisters’ International the organizations decided to bring forward the International Day of Action from 9 September to this Friday, 2 September. Furthermore the organizations call to send protest letters to Egyptian authorities.

On 10 April 2011 Maikel Nabil Sanad was sentenced to three years of imprisonment by an Egyptian military court because he was one of the first to criticize the role of the military. On Tuesday, 23 August 2011, he began a hunger strike in protest against his continued imprisonment and the delays in dealing with his appeal. On 30 August he escalated his hunger strike to include a thirst strike. Furthermore, he will refuse to take medicine.

Maikel Nabil Sanad felt compelled to take these drastic steps putting his life on the line in order to protest against the delays in dealing with his appeal. The appeal against his sentence lodged in April 2011 has still not been heard, more than four months later. At the same time, other prisoners are being released, and charges for insulting the military are dropped in other cases

The International Day of Action for Maikel Nabil Sanad, planned for 9 September, will be preponed to 2 September due to the recent developments. Rallies will be held September 2, 2011 in Frankfurt (Germany) at 3 p.m. in front of the Egyptian tourist office, Kaiserstr. 66; London (UK) at 3 p.m. in front of the Egyptian tourist office, 170 Piccadilly London W1J 9EJ; Athen (Greece) at 7 p.m. in front of the Egyptian Embassy, Vassilissis Sofias Av No. 3.

Connection e.V. and DFG-VK Hesse call for an International Day of Action to show international public support for Maikel Nabil Sanad, whose imprisonment is indicative of the lack of freedom of speech, and the military crackdown on the opposition in Egypt. With our Day of Action, we call for the immediate release of Maikel Nabil Sanad and all other imprisoned nonviolent revolutionaries and critics of the military.

Connection e.V. and DFG-VK Hesse call to send protest letters to Egyptian authorities. A prepared protest eMail can be sent online at

http://www.Connection-eV.org/en_aktion-egypt.php

http://WRI-irg.org/campaigns/supportmaikelnabil

Protest eMails can directly be sent to:

His Excellency Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Egyptian Minister of Defence, mmc@afmic.gov.eg, mod@afmic.gov.eg

H.E. Ambassador Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, Berlin, embassy@egyptian-embassy.de

Connection e.V. and DFG-VK Hesse, 31 August 2011

Keywords:    ⇒ Egypt   ⇒ Human Rights   ⇒ Imprisonment   ⇒ Maikel Nabil Sanad   ⇒ Military