Update: 13.13 31/05/11 – According to Gigi Ibrahim, Hossam and Reem have left the court and have not been charged.   You can still add your signature to the statement as part of our on-going campaign against the criminalisation of protest and dissent in Egypt.

Background: Journalists Hossam el-Hamalawy, Reem Maged and Nabil Sharaf al-Din have been summoned to appear before military judges on 31 May. Mostafa Sheshtawy has a useful post here which provides a translation of Hossam’s comments which have upset the military so much (he called for an end to the practice of military trials for civilians and said he held the head of the Military Police, Hamdy Badeen, responsible for the torture and mistreatment of detainees).

According to Al-Ahram, Nabil Sharaf al-Din was summoned the same day in relation to his criticisms of the Supreme Military Council’s handling of the transition period.

Egyptian activists have called protests in Cairo and Alexandria, details here.

Add your name to this statement: email menasolidarity@gmail.com
Please note this is an updated version which adds Nabil Sharaf al-Din’s name (30/05/11 9pm)

Please circulate widely

We condemn the decision to refer journalists Hossam el-Hamalawy and Reem Maged for questioning by military judges on Tuesday 31 May in relation to their discussion of violations of human rights by the Egyptian military police and the ruling Supreme Military Council on Reem’s political talkshow which aired on ONTV on 26 May 2011. We likewise condemn the decision to refer journalist Nabil Sharaf al-Din for questioning by military judges in relation to comments he also made on ONTV.

We will not stand by and see courageous journalists silenced, and we stand in solidarity with all Egyptians who are fighting to defend their rights to protest, strike and express themselves freely. These are precious gains of the revolution of 25 January, during which nearly 1000 Egyptians sacrificed their lives.

We call on the Supreme Military Council to cease its harassment of journalists, activists and citizens who exercise their basic human rights to question their rulers.

We affirm our support for the statement below on the right to strike and protest in Egypt which was first issued in March following the Egyptian cabinet’s decision to criminalise protests and strikes, but which is now more urgent than ever.

“The Egyptian people showed immense courage in overthrowing the dictator Mubarak. They braved armoured cars and bullets in order to win freedom and social justice. We call on Egypt’s current military and civilian rulers to respect the Egyptian people’s democratic rights, including the right to protest and strike. We call on the Egyptian cabinet to reverse its decision of 23 March 2011 to criminalise protests and strike action and to threaten those ‘inciting’ such action with imprisonment or huge fines. We demand that the British government cease to provide assistance, arms or equipment to the Egyptian army and security forces which could be used to repress strikes and protests.

We send our greetings to our brothers and sisters in Egypt’s independent trade unions, and pledge that we will not stand by while their rights are under threat. We will mobilise whatever solidarity we can to support their struggle for political freedom and social justice.”

To add your signature please email menasolidarity@gmail.com

Signatures to date (1002, 2 June 2011)

Jim Barbour, Vice-President, Fire Brigades Union, Bob Crow, General Secretary, RMT; Alex Gordon, National President, RMT; Steve Hedley, London Regional Organiser, RMT; Vaughan Thomas, President, London Transport Region RMT; John Kelly, Secretary, London Transport Region RMT; Unjum Mirza, Political Officer,London Transport Region RMT; Ross Marshall, Treasurer, London Region RMT; Paul Jackson, Branch Secretary, Engineering Branch; Andy Littlechild, Branch Chair, Engineering Branch; Bill Teale, Secretary, Fleet Branch RMT; Tony Carter-Leay, Chair, Fleet Branch RMT; Mick Crossey, Secretary, Camden No3 Branch RMT; Anthony Gandolfi, Chair, Camden No3 Branch RMT; Dean O’Hanlon, Secretary, Finsbury Park Branch RMT; Glenroy Watson, Chair, Finsbury Park Branch RMT; Gwyn Pugh, Secretary, Piccadilly and District Line West Branch RMT; Michael Livingstone, Chair, Piccadilly and District Line West Branch RMT; Andy Izard, Secretary, East Ham Branch RMT; Mac McKenna Senior Industrial Rep RMT; Kohran Osman RMT Rep Canary Wharf; Jake Wylie RMT; Mohammed Vankard RMT Trains Leytonstone; Paul O’Brien Company Council RMT Rep (Tube Lines); Kebba Jobe Senior RMT Rep Signals/Command & Control; Julie Miller RMT Trains Brixton; Andy Leach RMT Rep Trains Acton Town; Jane Gwyn Branch Chair, Jubilee South & East London Line; Frank Murray RMT Rep, Engineering; Tim Afzal, RMT Mile End; Michael Mungroo RMT Mile End; Will Hiscock RMT Trains Queens Park; Clive Protheroe RMT Trains Queens Park; Pat O’Brien Senior Safety Rep RMT; Anthony Beese RMT Rep (Tube Lines); Frank Ajayi RMT Rep (Alstom); Kieran Crowe RMT Rep (Alstom); Danny Canavan RMT Rep Fleet; Paul Bell RMT Trains Arnos Grove; Peter Trotter RMT London Bridge; Will Reid Senior Trains Rep RMT; Bill O’Dowd Senior Trains rep RMT; Lynda Aitken RMT London Bridge; Alan Crowe RMT Rep Eurostar (Engineering); Antony DeSouza RMT Engineering; Roy Carey RMT MATS Council; Paul Kennedy RMT Camden Town; Jon Abdullah RMT Rep, SRT; Ifzal Ahmed RMT Mile End; Tommy Comerford RMT Mile End; Anthony Humphries RMT Mile End; Ali Canak RMT Trains Edgware Road; John Colville RMT King’s Cross; Jackie Darby RMT Rep Engineering Branch; Neil Hodgson RMT Trains Acton Town; Karen Hoult RMT Trains Stratford; James Aiken RMT Rep Engineering; Jason Cullen RMT Rep (Tube Lines); Jon Fosters RMT Rep (Tube Lines); Lewis Peacock RMT Rep Engineering; Mark Langridge RMT Rep (Tube Lines); Paul Schindler Senior Industrial RMT Rep; Russ Clarke Senior RMT Rep (Tube Lines); Malcolm Taylor Senior Industrial Rep; Gary Vincent RMT Rep Engineering, Ian Allinson, UNITE Executive Council member, Andy Reid, PCS National Executive Committee; Charlie Hore, Secretary, UNISON Community and Voluntary organisations branch (pc); Sasha Simic, USADW Shop Steward, Central Books; Simon Hester, Chair, Haringey Trades Union Council; Mike Pearn (CWU), UK; Bruce Allen, Vice-President Canadian Autoworkers Local 199, St. Catharines, Ontario Canada; Angela McCormick, EISFELA National Executive ( college lecturers trade union in Scotland) and Scottish CND Executive; Ruby Hirsch, National Executive, National Union of Students, UK; Andrzej Żebrowski, Pracownicza Demokracja (Workers’ Democracy – Poland), John Molyneux and Mary Smith, Dublin; Kev Kiernan, NUJ, UK; Alex Callinicos, Professor of European Politics, King’s College, London; Waseem Yaqoob, Cambridge, UK; Bob Scholte, Riham  Soliman, Matthew Hale, Manchester Metropolitan student; Dr Brian Kelly, Reader in US History, Queen’s University Belfast, Salim Vally, University of Johannesburg, Pat Carmody, Jamie Allinson, Dr. Shaun N. Joseph, International Socialist Organization, Providence RI, US; Laura Mann, PhD Candidate, Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh; FRANK WARD, ST BARRS, DORNOCH, SCOTLAND, Dr Dougal McNeill, Victoria University of Wellington; Aurora E. Hunter; Daniel Perrett, Cambridge, England; Josh kilby, International socialist organization, providence ri; Stephen Brown, Eastoft, North Lincs, UK; Einde O’Callaghan, Spokesperson on Migration Policy, State Executive of DIE LINKE.Saxony, mscully9@att.net, Angela Ettema. John van Dijk, Almere, the Netherlands; Gary Lapon New York, NY, USA; Peter Edwards, (Socialist Workers Party – UK), Mark Clinton, Professor of Political Science, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.A; Brian Chidester, Warren, RI, USA; Marie Xeno (London, UK), Richard Seymour (London, UK), Thomas Rivers, Alan Hague, RI, USA, Teri Adams, Austin, Texas, USA; Sellouma, NPA, France; Nicholas Chapman; Marion Hersh; Katrina Mayer, Leeds, UK; Maggie Falshaw, London, UK; John Lyons; Clare Fermont; Penny Howard, Solidarity, Sydney, Australia; Can Irmak Özinanır ( Turkey); Mohamed Gamal-Eldin; Vanessa O Sullivan; Liz Ross, Australia; Paul Hubbard, USA; Thomas Weyts, SAP (Socialist Workers Party), Belguim; Dr Diane Fieldes, Sydney, Australia; Sherif Sadek, Film Director; Lian Jenvey, Sydney, Australia; Laura Durkay, New York, NY, USA; Liam Ward, National Tertiary Education Union, National Councillor, Melbourne, Australia;  Emma Dook (Melbourne, Australia); Hoda Mitwally, Egyptian American and Palestine solidarity activist, NJ, USA; Michael Letwin, Former President, Assn. of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW Local 2325; Labor for Palestine; David McNally, Professor of Political Science, York University, Toronto; Michael Billeaux, Madison, WI, USA; Alexander Super, Brooklyn, NY; Snehal Shingavi, University of Texas at Austin; Trish Kahle, socialist writer and activist, North Carolina, USA; Dave Florey; Jamie Smith, Canada; Andrew Kirk; DeGaulle Adili; Aaron Hess (Haymarket Books, US); China Miéville, Writer, Academic; Stephen D’Arcy, Chair, Department of Philosophy, Huron University College, London, ON, Canada; Alan Maass, SocialistWorker.org; Eric Lerner, International Luxemburgist Network, NJ Immigrant and Workers Rights Coalition, New Jersey, USA; Elizabeth Wrigley-Field; Jens Hanssen, Associate Professor, University of Toronto; Michael Allan Slaughter, Pacifica CA, USA; Marin Trusca,co-presidente Liga Comunistilor din Romania; Gary Gletty, Normal, IL, USA, retired teacher, life member of NEA; Susan P. Stout, Vancouver, Canada, Retired member of Canadian Auto Workers; Sherna Berger Gluck, former vice-president SEIU 1983 (California); Mohamed Elmasri – Australia; Amy Thomas, co-editor, Solidarity magazine, Australia; Alex Johnson | Industrial Organiser | Member Service Centre | CPSU, Australia; Dr. Noah Bassil, Lecturer, Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University, Australia; Naima Ibrahim Sydney Australia; Richard Peacock; Linda Spence; Joanne Landy, Co-Director, Campaign for Peace and Democracy, New York City; Kiraz Janicke, Independent Journalist, Australia; Tatiana Thomas, Employee from Belgium; Joe Philippa; Jim Casey, State Secretary, Fire Brigade Employees’ Union, New South Wales, Australia; Stuart Munckton; Melanie Lazarow|Branch Secretary, NTEU (National Tertiary Education Union), University of Melbourne, Australia; Colin Long, Victorian Division Secretary, National Tertiary Education Union, Australia; Mary Ann Gibson, Australia; Zubêr I. Hatia; Trry Townsend, editor Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal); member of the Socialist Alliance, Sydney; Yas Almajd, Australia; Nancy Lindisfarne; Dr Gennaro Gervasio, Macquarie University, Sydney, AUS; Luke Weyland, Strathfield NSW Australia; Robert Day, NTEU, Mebourne, Australia; Jim Taggart; Kathleen Carson; Melbourne, Australia; Mandy Webb; Roy Maartens; seif fathi; Lisa Macdonald, Convener, International Committee, Socialist Alliance (Australia); Colin & Ewa Barker, Manchester, UK; Solidarity, Australia; Paddy Gibson, Senior Researcher, Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning (UTS); Frances Pilling; Bea Bleile; M. Delenian. London; David Garner; Ziauddin Sardar, City University, UK; John Game; john morris, executive member, nsw teachers union, australia; En lucha / En lluita, Spain; Jesús M. Castillo, Profesor de Ecología, Universidad de Sevilla; Peter Boyle, National Convenor Socialist Alliance (Australia); Ian Birchall (London); David Karvala, social movement activist and member of En lucha, Barcelona; Somaye Zadeh – Musician; Jacob Wills; Mike Crook, Sandgate Transition Town Network; Dr Sinéad Kennedy, School of English, Media & Theatre Studies, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Ireland; Owen Holland, (PhD student, University of Cambridge, UK); Nathaniel Thomas, Toronto; yasser abdullah, libertarian socialist movement, Egypt; Maha AlAyyoubi, Urban Planner, Beirut; Dr. Miriyam Aouragh, Oxford University; Erima Dall (Sydney University, Australia), Tom Orsag CFMEU member Victorian branch, Australia, Tony Piccolo, Organiser, AMWU (Australian Manufacturing Workers Union); Dr Michael Grewcock, Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Chris Breen, AMWU (Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union) Print Division Regional Councillor; Joshua Lees (Socialist Alternative, Australia); Kate Ausburn; Noha El Shoky; Evronia Azer, Alexandria, Egypt; Ahmed Mahfouz; Aoife McKenna; Daisy Livesey Farnham; Nik Howard; Loren Balhorn, Die Linke, Germany; Pau Alarcón Pérez, Social researcher and member of En lucha, Spanish State; May AbdelRazik, Cairo, Egypt; TIM L EVANS; Shamal Ali, Socialist activist from Kurdistan of Iraq; Connor Kelly; Christian Hogsbjerg, Leeds Met UCU; mahmoud otman; Hadeel El Deeb, Cairo, Egypt; Eiman ElNoshokaty, Blogger; Jesper Juul Mikkelsen; Ben Dharmendra (Australia); Judy McVey, Solidarity, Melbourne Australia; Mohamed Elmasri, Melbourne Australia; Farah Kobaissy, Lebanon; Laurent Bauer (New Anticapitalist Party, France); Anne Cooper; Ian Rintoul, Solidarity, Australia; Gina Hay Sydney, Australia; Paul Smyth – Lawyer Sydney Australia; Lachlan Marshall, Sydney, Australia; Mélanie Souad, NPA, France; Seth Sandronsky, freelance journalist, Sacramento, CA, USA; Roxanne Chappell; Dr Talat Ahmed, Lecturer in South Asian History, Department of History, Goldsmiths, University of London; Ryan O’Kane, House of Wisdom Coordinator, Gladstone’s Library, North Wales; Maha Abdel Rahman; Daniel Simpson, Derry, Student; Liam Ó Cuimín, Branch Secretary, IMPACT trade union, IRELAND; Saman  Nadir, Toronto, Canada; Dr. Nathan McDonnell, Sydney, Australia; Goretti Horgan, School of Criminology, Politics and Social Policy, University of Ulster; Wafaa Nabil Ezz; David Letwin (USA); David Suttle; Dr. Philip Gasper, Madison College, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Karen Domínguez Burke, Austin TX; Roddy Shippin; Dagmar Diesner, independent filmmaker, London; Ms Marty Morrison, Bennetts Wharf; Coasters Retreat; Palm Beach NSW; Rory Fanning, United States; Anders Bæk Simonsen. IS member in Copenhagen, Denmark; Geoff Brown, Secretary, Manchester TUC; Dr. David Brancaleone, Lecturer, Critical and Contextual Studies (Fine Art), Limerick Institute of Technology, Republic of Ireland; Ansar Fayyazuddin, Brooklyn, NY, USA; TOUCHALEAUME Vincent, Steg-UTG, Guyane; Sara K, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network; Toufic Haddad; Vijay Prashad, Author, The Darker Nations: A People’s History of the Third World; Dick Reilly, Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism; Andrew Loewen, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Karen Scott, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jungwon Kim, Amnesty International, New York, NY, USA; Janet  Hudgins, Vancouver, Canada; Stefanie Fischbach, Sociologist, Berlin; Scruffy Morin, International Socialist Organization, Rochester, NY; Rhodri Kemp; Sherry Wolf, author, Sexuality and Socialism; liz burdon; Charity Schmidt, graduate student, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sociology; Anthony Alessandrini, Assistant Professor of English, Kingsborough Community College-CUNY; Asmaa Nassar; Håkan Danielsson, educator and activist, Gothenburg, Sweden; Sharat G. Lin, President, San Jose Peace and Justice Center, 48 South 7th Street, San Jose, CA  95112; Frida Ambia, New York City; Dr Harry Feldman, Canberra, Australia; Eamonn McCann, journalist and author, Derry, N Ireland; Clarice Kuhling, Lecturer, Wilfrid Laurier University, Ryerson University; Phil Andrews, Branch President, Monash NTEU; Paul Garrett, Assistant Secretary, Maritime Union of Australia (Sydney Branch); Maria Dolors; Simon Midgley, CWU Area Delivery Rep (Royal Mail), Bradford & District; Christine Keavney; Stop the War Coalition, Sydney Australia; Sue Bolton, Socialist Alliance state convenor, Victoria, Australia; Ahmed Shawki, editor, International Socialist Review; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Lotfi Yassa, Cisco Academy Manager at TAFE (Sydney); Mark Goudkamp, Relieving Multuculatural Officer, NSW Teachers’ Federation; Paul McAleer, Branch Secretary, Maritime Union of Australia Sydney Branch; Stephen Stefanac; Joe Deakin, Assistant Sydney Branch Secretary, Maritime Union of Australia; Gary Price Rep. CEPU P+T DIV. Melbourne Aust; John Cloono; Jo Errey, Sydney; Marilina Countouris; Kerry Vernon, Revolutionary Socialist Party & Direct Action, Australia; Tara Povey, Sydney, Australia; Azlan McLennan, United Voice union member, Melbourne, Australia; Portia Seddon; Hunter College CUNY; Anthony Arnove, author and editor, Brooklyn, NY; Nadyat El Gawley; Rohan Madison