Free Alaa : One year later

Today marks one year since the imprisonment of Egypt’s renowned blogger and activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and the rest of the Shura Council detainees.

Free Shura case detainees 

Today thousands of people across the world are participating in a twitter storm to remind the people and the world about Alaa Abdel Fattah and his cause in Egypt as well the cause of many detainees like him under hashtag “#FreeAlaa”
In the past few hours, my twitter timeline and Facebook timeline turned red and orange with Alaa’s avatar while sharing his famous quotes.

I changed my twitter avatar as well for 24 hours to Alaa's famous avatar.
It gave many people Goosebumps because they thought Alaa was released.

In the past few hours, “#FreeAlaa” was back to be a top trending in Egypt.


As you know Abdel Fattah El-Sisi pardoned all the Shura council detainees last month except Alaa Abdel Fattah , Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Abdel Rahman El-Siyad and Abdel Rahman Tarek as well Wael Matwally who is currently abroad.
Alaa Abdel Fattah and Ahmed Abdel Rahman were sentenced 5 years in jail in February in the Shura council case.

ِAhmed Abdel Rahman 

Abdel Rahman El-Siyad and Abdel Rahman Tarek were sentenced 3 years in jail in the same case.
Nobody knows till now why El-Sisi did not pardon Alaa and the rest of the detainees, but some insiders claim that Alaa’s name as a long time activist was out of question to be included in the pardon.

There is no justification also on why Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Abdel Rahman El-Siyad and Abdel Rahman Tarek or Wael Matwally.

It is like the destiny of Alaa to be detained and imprisoned under all Egyptian rulers and presidents since Mubarak.

Still it is not about Alaa only, it is about all the political prisoners in Egypt including Ahmed Douma , Ahmed Maher , Mohamed Adel , Esraa El-Taweel and Mahinour El-Masry as well thousands of detainees imprisoned in highly politicized trials.

Alaa’s family held a small protest in solidarity with Alaa and the rest of the detainees in the Shura council case this afternoon in Cairo's Heliopolis.
Alaa’s Mother Dr. Laila Soueif and her daughters Mona and Sanaa Seif were holding banners alone in front of the Presidential palace demanding the detainees’ release. "All the photos are courtesy of Free Alaa Facebook page" 

There is a still a lot of unjustly imprisoned people in prison
#Freedom_For_Detainees
Banner carried by Mona Seif at Presidential Palace 

Sanaa Seif and Dr. Laila Soueif

Sanaa Seif and Dr. Laila Soueif carrying banners showing the
4 remaining detainees including Alaa despite the Presidential Pardon 

Dr. Laila carrying a banner calling for the freedom of Ahmed
Abdel Rahman, Abdel Rahman El-Siyad, Abdel Rahman Tarek
and Alaa Abdel Fattah

This is the first protest for Sanaa Seif after her release from jail following El-Sisi’s pardon.
Here is a selfie she took with her mother, sister and activist/friend Mai Saad.

وقفنا ساعة وأخدنا سيلفي القصر ومشينا، كله تمام. #FreeAlaa
Posted by Sanaa Seif on Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Now I will quote Alaa speaking about the brave women of his family.

خلفة البنات عزوة. هم اللي هيجروا عليك لو اعتقلت او خطفت. هم اللي مش هينسوا حقك لو اتعذبت او اصبت او قتلت.
Posted by Alaa Abd El Fattah on Thursday, October 23, 2014

Having daughters , girls is a power of its own. Girls are going to look after you if you are detained or kidnapped. They won’t forget their right if you are tortured or injured or killed.

Also, posters of detainees appeared in one of the streets in Maadi, Mohendessin and Downtown Cairo as part of the campaign.

In Wadi El-Nil Street in Mohendessin
Giza 

In Maadi , Cairo 

In Ramsis , Cairo 

Pathetic as they have always been, the Pro-Military/Pro-Sisi/Pro-Mubarak supporters launched “#FreeSmeda” to mock from the Free Alaa and detainees campaign online rudely.
Ironically, those people claim that Online campaigns and hashtags are useless and yet they are provoked enough to have a pathetic hashtag.
I feel sorry for those people for real.
It is sad to see people standing against freedom.
I will quote Alaa here:

و ايوه لأننا ملناش كاتالوج و يجمعنا رفض الكاتالوج معندناش خطة و تنظيم و قيادة، بكره هنبدع حلول من غير ما نحبس بعض، و بكره بتاعنا

— Alaa Abd El Fattah (@alaa) December 18, 2012

And yes we do not have a standard catalogue “for revolutionaries” and we share all that refusal to catalogue. We do not have a plan or organization or leadership. Tomorrow , we will create solutions without imprisoning each other. Tomorrow is ours.

I am happy that the people and the world remember Alaa and the rest of the detainees including Ahmed Abdel Rahman today even Online.
Big changes always start with small things.