Egypt: Sandmonkey Back, Human Rights Activists HeldWritten by Amira Al Hussaini - GlobalVoices
Posted 3 February 2011
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Prominent Egyptian blogger and Twitter user Sandmonkey has been arrested today, amid a crackdown on activists and human rights organisations in Egypt. He has since been released, after being beaten up, and medical supplies he had on him to help those in Tahrir Square confiscated.
The arrest was confirmed by eyewitnesses and fellow tweeps at Tahrir Square, which has been the epicentre, of huge anti-Mubarak protests for the 11th day in a row. Wael Abbas tweeted that activists were being arrested at the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre, and another prominent blogger, Alaa Abdel Fattah, said his father, an activist, has been arrested too:
@alaa it looks like the arrest of my father is confirmed, also human right lawyer khaled ali among arrested #Jan25
He later adds:
Not worried about dad he spent 5years in mubarak's prisons, been tortured before, he can handle them #Jan25
In another update, Abbas reports:
Human Rights Watch researcher Dan Williams among those arrested at Hisham Mubarak Law Centre, at least 24 journalists so far, equipment conf
Only yesterday, Sandmonkey tweeted:
Ok, it is official, my @Mobinil line has twitter and facebook blocked on it. They work fine on my etisalat line. F–k you @Mobinil #jan25
And added:
This means the regime knows who i am and where I live. My life is now officially in danger. #jan25
This last tweet was retweeted 73 times. Despite this, Sandmonkey was up and running this morning, trying to deliver aid and medical supplies to protesters, in Tahrir Square, Cairo, where pro-Mubarak thugs have been at work, terrorising the peaceful protesters calling for change.
His last tweets, from six hours ago, are:
More:
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/02/03/egypt-the-arrest-of-sandmonkey/:kick: