A cell phone camera recorded Egyptian protesters in prison. Photo: Ikhwanweb [5]

The government claims that Egyptians are eagerly awaiting the constitutional amendments that will change the country into a Mecca of freedom and democracy. The government is spending millions in public funds to pass these amendments. Yet the Egyptian autocratic regime is still persecuting all opposition forces who argue that these amendments harm the Egyptian people, will lead to more repression, pave the way for Tawreeth (hereditary power transition from Mubarak Sr. to Mubarak Jr.) and rig the elections through sidelining judicial supervision over them.

Kifaya ("enough" in English) called for peaceful demonstrations on March 15, 2007 to declare its rejection of the constitutional amendments. In response, huge numbers of soldiers, under the supervision of the State Security Police (which monitors political activity in Egypt and has the upper hand), blocked the way to Tahrir Square in central Cairo in order to prevent the demonstration from forming there.

Kifaya activists then gathered in side streets near the square and moved in small groups to stir people and proclaim the aims of the demonstration. The security forces surrounded these groups and arrested 12 Kifaya activists.

Dozens of movement members gathered in front of the Nasserist Party headquarters to chant slogans until the security forces besieged them and attacked and harshly beat them, including many Kifaya leaders.

Another security unit harshly treated another group led by Dr. Abdul Wahab Al Meseiri, the general coordinator of the Kifaya Movement. The security forces also detained anyone in Tahrir Square, including many people who were not participants in the demonstration. The security forces arrested these passers-by and beat them in front of the media's cameras.

The security forces sent all detainees to Al-Dhaher police station. About 40 detainees were crammed into two prison cells.

During their detention, the detainees continued chanting slogans against the constitutional amendments, the ruling regime, Tawreeth, tyranny, and the state of emergency. The detainees staged a hunger strike when they were not released. They canceled that strike after Mr. Ahmed Saif Al-Islam Hamad, the manager of Hesham Mubarak Center for Human Rights, visited them and promised them negotiations were underway to release them and that it would occur early the next morning. This was confirmed by all officers in the police station.

However, this promise was broken, so the detainees again began a hunger strike, and continued knocking on the doors of the cells and chanting slogans. In addition, their colleagues staged a sit-in in front of the police station, an event recorded by the media.

I have noticed the following about the prison cells and the treatment of detainees:

First: The prison cells were so narrow; one of the detention cells was three by four meters and it contained eleven detainees; the other was six by three meters and it contained about fourteen detainees. The Ikhwanweb correspondent managed to take photos of them through his camera phone which he had hidden in his clothes after the security forces arrested him.

Second: The toilets are not suitable for human use.

Third: Visits were banned, Lawyers were not allowed to visit prisoners throughout the period of detention except when the detainees declared a hunger strike (and the police officers only allowed lawyers into the cells in an attempt to induce the prisoners to end the hunger strike).

Fourth: There were conflicting orders from different State Security Police officers.

Fifth: There was no difference in the treatment received by Muslim Brotherhood detainees and Kifaya (mostly secular) detainees; the regime provides the same menu of maltreatment, repression, and persecution.

Editor's note: The arrestees were released on March 20, but face severe charges under Egypt's "Emergency Law," which the government claims is only used in cases of terrorism and drug smuggling. For more information on Egyptian human rights struggles, see http://egypthr.blogspot.com [6]. Egyptian bloggers face increased repression (see www.globalvoicesonline.org [7]). To support political prisoners, see the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, www.eohr.org [8]. For information on a wave of strikes that is further invigorating Egyptian movements for democracy, please see Strikes in Egypt Spread from Center of Gravity [9] from the invaluable Middle East Report Online.