Journalists Join Egyptian Hunger Strike To Free ‘Political Prisoners’
Egyptian journalists have joined a hunger strike movement seeking the release of political prisoners, according to multiple news organizations.
The total number of journalists joining the movement stands at seven, with a focus on a strict protest law put into place by the Egyptian government, The Associated Press reported.
What has driven even more focus on the law, The Associated Press said, was the fact that many activists had been jailed as a result of the new law’s restrictions.
Middle Eastern news website Arham Online reported that seven political parties, which it described as leftist, had also joined the movement.
“The move is aimed to drum up support for the ongoing hunger strike by 60 prisoners and 70 supporters and activists who are not in jail, according to the Freedom for the Brave campaign,” Arham reported. “According to the statement, the escalation in action is to demand the release of detainees in cases involving freedom of opinion and in breaches of a widely criticised 2013 law that bans spontaneous protests. The parties are also demanding the protest law be amended.”
According to the AP, the law was designed to bring stability to the country, but it has seen a number of individuals supportive of ousted president Mohammed Morsi arrested over the summer.
According to Press TV, the journalists released a statement explaining their reasons for protesting the law.
“We begin this battle because we believe that freedom of expression through protesting or writing, or any peaceful method, is an established right.”
One wonders if ISIS may have some strange bedfellows in Egypt’s government following Egyptian feminists dropping a log on the flag of the Islamist State group.
The Inquisitr writer Patrick Frye reported that “two women are shown defecating and menstruating on an Islamic State flag while completely naked in an apparent protest against the ISIS terrorist group.”
The pooping and menstruating on the ISIS flag comes around the same time that a viral video campaign has started spreading across the Middle East, where individuals burn ISIS flags, or printouts of ISIS flags, to show resistance against the terrorist group that has taken many cities in Iraq. ISIS has also caused the United States to launch airstrikes in Iraq and pledge support behind moderate Syrian rebels.
We would like to hear from you. What do you think of the hunger strike? Will it work in an attempt to release political prisoners? And will the ISIS protests cause more people to be arrested in the northern African nation? Leave a comment and give us your thoughts.
[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]
