AP Notices Alaa

The Associated Press has noticed and written about the plight of imprisoned Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd El-Fatah. Even though they are quite late to the party, it is a very welcome bit of news. The article is quite well written and has a large amount of background about the entire situation.

The 24-year-old Abdel-Fattah's blog, which he does with his wife Manal Hassan, has become one of the most popular pro-democracy voices in Egypt. He has continued writing despite being arrested in early May during a street demonstration in Cairo — part of a crackdown on reform activists by Egyptian security forces.

"We covered the walls of our cell with graffiti of our names and slogans and Web site addresses," Abdel-Fattah wrote one time, referring to himself and fellow imprisoned activists. "We chanted and sang and the mood was great."

But another posting was very different. "I'm sitting here terrified they'll move me to a worse cell or cut off my visits. What should I tell you — that the day will come for them (the regime)? I'm afraid our grandchildren won't see that day, much less us."

Please read the whole thing. Please help do what you can to help Alaa and all his fellow prisoners. Support freedom.

• 

  By Roland Hesz, May 30, 2006 @ 3:37 am

  Yes that’s an important war.

  Although, I recon, someone could wage a war on Texas, ’cause they still kill people in the name of law, and in some countries that is as bad as limiting free speech. Especially since a large amount of the executed are proven innocent later.

  I don’t think that waging war on anyone who does not share our values is the right solution.

  Also, I can’t recall the US being that brave and eager to free countries in the mid 50s – not even when they were called in.

  Ah, but the Soviet Union was a bigger piece than Iraq.

  Trust me, the war in Iraq won’t help Middle-Eastern bloggers to blog freely.
  Just look at Afghanistan. It will take more than burning down a country…

• 

  By Gaius, May 30, 2006 @ 5:00 am

  Roland, I am not sure where you got that particular piece of information, but the fact is I have not heard of one person in the recent past who was found to have been innocent after their execution. It may have happened way back when, but not since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

• 

  By Roland Hesz, May 30, 2006 @ 7:31 am

  You got me there, I can’t tell you right now.
  But I will dig up, just can’t spend an hour searching when I am at work

  Though I remember, that this year there was a guy sentenced to death then they changed the sentence to lifelong prison, as they could not really prove that he committed the murder. I was a bit surprised – hey, maybe this guy is innocent, don’t kill him, just lock him up -, but then it seems to work like that.

  They lost the killing weapon so they could not prove it was him who did the killing.

  And by large amount: 1 man hanged innocent is one too many.
  It can be like Torquemada – Kill them all, God will sort out the innocents.

  But still, I don’t really agree with the death sentence.
  I don’t trust people.

• 

  By Gaius, May 30, 2006 @ 7:41 am

  I think there are times when it is the only sentence that makes sense. There are people who deserve it.

  If you find a reference, I’d be glad to take a look at it. I honestly don’t remeber anything like what you’re describing.

• 

  By Roland Hesz, May 30, 2006 @ 8:03 am

  But then, if I am wrong, then we arrived at the gist of the thing: I would have attacked Texas based on false intelligence, and have abolished the death sentence

• 

  By Roland Hesz, May 31, 2006 @ 1:25 am

  http://www.slate.com/id/2131194/

  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3472872.html

  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/crimelab/3248711.html

  I didn’t find yet the case I mentioned yesterday, but without knowing any names it is hard to find anything on the net.

  http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=6&did=109

  These people has been acquitted or case been dismissed, but then in some cases it was sheer luck that saved them.

  You could argue, that they has not been executed in the end, but serving 3 years on death row, and being innocent can put a real break in your life.
  However, this list explicitly states that only non-executed people can get on it.

  Still don’t agree with death sentence. Killing someone does not solve anything. You just have a life on your consciousness.

  http://www.justicedenied.org/executed.htm

  Now you can tell, that these sites are probably anti-death sentence, but then a pro-death site wouldn’t keep a list like this.

  I keep looking for the case I was referring to.

Other Links to this Post

1. Liberty and Justice — May 29, 2006 @ 12:58 pm

2. Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » WaPo Discovers Egyptian Bloggers — May 31, 2006 @ 3:09 pm