Demonstrators outside Mahalla police station demanded the release of more than 150 people – including many children – that was arrested during protests the previous day.
Photo by Per Bjorklund, Mahalla el Kubra, 2008-04-07.
See 3arabawy for more reports. Excerpts-
The Textile Workers’ League activists Kamal el-Fayoumi and Kareem el-Beheiri, as well as a number of the Mahalla detainees, are currently undergoing interrogation at the Tanta Prosecutor’s Office. I have a report from an activist, which I couldn’t confirm yet, that Kareem was subject to severe beatings in police custody.
The HMLC blog is reporting that Ghazl el-Mahalla blogger Kareem el-Beheiri said he was taken blindfolded to an unknown place by the police, where he was beaten up and subjected to electric shocks.
I spoke with an activist in Mahalla.. He says Nazif promised all workers in the textile sector a 15-day bonus, and the workers in Mahalla specifically will get a one month bonus. The ministers also promised injecting LE400,000 into the Ghazl el-Mahalla company to modernize it, together with the transportation services for the workers, opening up outlets for Consumer Cooperatives in the company compound (where subsidized food would be sold), increase the number of doctors at the General Mahalla Hospital, increase the supply of flour aimed at the Mahalla bakeries.
“workers” who attended [the ministerial meeting] were from the management, as well as the govt-backed trade unionists, State Security agents in plainclothes, NDP members in Mahalla, and a selected number of workers
wide scale intimidation by the uniformed police and plainclothes thugs against journalists and photographers in the streets.
Al Jazeera says of the election-
Egyptians have largely stayed away from local elections in which the ruling party was guaranteed victory after many opposition candidates were barred from standing. Only 30 per cent of the 52,000 council seats were actually contested in Tuesday’s vote, which was overshadowed by protests over high prices and low wages. The Muslim Brotherhood had pulled out of the elections and called on Egyptians to boycott the polls in protest at the disqualification and imprisonment of most of its candidates by the authorities.
The next presidential election is set for 2011, with many expecting the veteran 79-year-old Mubarak to stand down in favour of his son, Gamal Mubarak, a senior NDP member.
We love it when our friends oppress their peoples. Hang on I’m just going to look up the definition of democracy, maybe I’ve got things all wrong… (Hey how about the Olympics for Cairo?… Anyone?)