AAUMC calls upon labor unions in the US to support labor organizers imprisoned by the Egyptian Government, the second largest recipient of US foreign aid [$2 billion].
Members of the independent Textile Workers League: Kamal el-Fayoumi, Tarek Amin and blogger Kareem el-Beheiry were detained on the 6th of April during a two-day uprising by the urban poor and textile workers in the Nile Delta town of Mahalla, protesting the
price increases of basic commodities. A strike was scheduled on that day to take place at Ghazl el-Mahalla, the largest textile mill in the Middle East and
home to 27,000 workers, but was aborted by police troops occupying the factory. Peaceful demonstrations erupted in the town after the failure of the strike, and soon turned bloody with police opening fire on the protestors, killing at least three.
http://arabist.net/arabawy/2008/04/06/police-abort-mahalla-strike/
Hundreds were rounded up in Mahalla, and a fresh round of detentions and police raids against activists continued in Cairo and the other provinces. Journalists and photographers were also prevented from reporting and arrested.
Released detainees spoke of abuse, and minors as young as eight year olds were taken in custody. In a letter sent from Bourg el-Arab Prison, Alexandria, the three Textile Workers' League activists spoke of torture by electric shocks in custody of Mahalla's State Security Police.
http://tinyurl.com/5rbzgr
The Arab American Union Members Council calls for the unconditional release of the detained Mahalla activists and citizens in Bourg el-Arab Prison, and demands an investigation into their treatment. The Council also expresses solidarity with the Egyptian workers' struggle for better living conditions and true union representation in workplaces. Hence, we also congratulate the Egyptian Real Estate Tax Collectors, whose strike committee has been recently announced as the first independent labor union in the country that does not fall under the domination of the state-sponsored Federation of Trade Unions
http://tinyurl.com/2lfd82
http://arabist.net/arabawy/2008/05/15/tax_updates/
For continuous updates on the detainees in English, please check Egyptian journalist Hossam el-Hamalawy's blog:
http://arabawy.org
For updates in Arabic:
Tadamon: http://tadamonmasr.wordpress.com
The Hisham Mubarak Law Center: http://hmlc.katib.org/
*The Arab American Union Members Council (AAUMC) is an organization consisting of Arab Americans who are active members of their unions - teachers, nurses, hotel & restaurant workers, public employees, building services and union organizers. AAUMC is dedicated to the empowerment of our community and advocating for the protection of their civil and human rights. Through grassroots networking with similar sister labor and community organizations, 'Know Your Rights' education seminars and public outreach, by providing the support to all working families in our communities, we work to advance social justice and bridge the gap between Arab American working families and our fellow sisters and brothers in all the diverse immigrant communities and U.S. society at large.
