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HELP!
Essam Hanafy
is in prison in Egypt for drawing cartoons that displease the
authorities. You can help to get him released NOW.
Please send
an email
urging the Egyptian government to release Essam.
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Cartoonists in trouble:
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Dear cartoonist and cartooning friend,
We have a very rare opportunity to
immediately affect editorial cartoonist Essam Hanafy's jail sentence.
He is being considered for inclusion in a pending amnesty the
Government of Egypt is extending to a number of prisoners of
conscience. Decisions will be made in a matter of days and if
we are to influence the choice of participants in the amnesty,
we much weigh in fast and heavy.
Please e-mail
me at: MAYTE6@aol.com
with a letter of support and I'll make sure it gets to the Egyptian
authorities who count. ---Robert Russell
Here is a sample letter:
His Excellency Mr. Hosni
Mubarak
President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Heliopolis, Egypt
Your Excellency,
I have been made aware of
the plight of Mr. Essam Hanafy, an editorial cartoonist presently
in jail in Egypt under charges of libel and contempt of court.
His crimes were to make satirical drawings unpopular with certain
important personalities in your government.
As Egypt is a signatory to
the UN Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19 that guarantees
journalists protection from reprisals for their work, I would
like to ask that Mr. Hanafy and all other journalists charged
and convicted of crimes related to their profession be released.
I understand an amnesty is
being considered for these journalists, and I would strongly
urge you and your administration to include Mr. Hanafy.
With deepest thanks,
(name and affiliation as
appropriate)
Robert
Russell
Director
Cartoonists Rights Network
#308 1111 Arlington Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22209 USA
 This
is our last update on Essam, before he was sentenced to prison
for his cartoons (3/25/00):
Egyptian cartoonist Essam
Hanafy is going to jail, if the court trying his case has its
way. Normally, a court is supposed to hear all the evidence,
make sure both prosecution and defense have an equal chance to
present their cases, and then they make a judgment according
to agreed upon laws. Essam sends us an email saying that when
he gets to court in the morning it is already surrounded by the
police, anticipating a guilty verdict. The judges change the
venue of the hearings with no advanced warnings to the defense,
making them late at the new venue. Essam and three other print
journalists from the El Shaab newspaper are on trial for libeling
the Deputy Prime Minister.
Essam sent us this cartoon
while still going up and down to court every day. He is still
in great danger.
Source
Agencies:
Committee to Protect Journalists
Reporters sans Frontieres
International Federation of Journalists
International Freedom of Expression Clearing House
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
World Association of Newspapers
The NEWSEUM
And other human rights organizations that cannot now be mentioned.
Your suggestions
and comments are appreciated. E-mail Robert Russell
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