Bucknackt's Sordid Tawdry Blog: BREAKING: Amnesty delegate detained in Egypt! 3FEB11

03 February 2011

BREAKING: Amnesty delegate detained in Egypt! 3FEB11

THE Egyptian government has a responsibility to guarantee the security of foreign journalist and NGO employees as well as their own citizens advocating for a free, democratic Egypt. The arrest of staff members of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and reporters including from the Washington Post must stop and all those detained must be released. Join this action from Amnesty International calling for those detained to be released and for the violent attacks to stop.



	Urgent: An Amnesty International staff member and others were detained by police in Cairo, Egypt this morning. Call on Egyptian authorities to immediately release Amnesty International staff member and other human rights monitors.

Our hearts nearly stopped this morning when we heard the news - one of our own, a member of the Amnesty International staff, was detained by police in Cairo after the Hisham Mubarak Law Center was taken over by military police.

Our colleague was taken along with at least three others, including a delegate from Human Rights Watch. We do not know their current whereabouts.

The ongoing crackdown on civil society in the wake of the protests in Egypt is appalling. It is essential that human rights monitors be allowed the freedom to do their crucial work at this time of crisis. Egypt must release these individuals immediately.

Please, we need you to speak up with the voice of the international human rights movement:

Tell Egyptian officials to release Amnesty International's staff member and all human rights monitors.

We are appealing directly to the Egyptian authorities because this madness has got to stop.

Please help us bring our human rights colleagues to safety. Please help ensure that human rights are respected in Egypt.