Student demonstrations continue at AUC

AUC students continue to protest the 5-year prison sentences handed down to their colleagues Abdel-Rahman Boghdady and Abdallah Ghandour

Students at the American University in Cairo (AUC) have continued to protest the five-year prison sentences handed to their colleagues Abdallah Ghandour and Abdel RahmanBoghdadylast Tuesday after they were detained during a demonstration in Nasr City in December.
AUC students gathered on the steps of the School of Science and Engineering on Sunday to hand out fliers, display signs, and rally the support of their fellow students.
Boghdady's brother, Ali, a sophomore at AUC, told Ahram Online that the purpose of the demonstration was twofold: “Our aim is first to raise awareness of the injustice that my brother and Abdallah have faced, and second to encourage the administration of President Lisa Anderson to take legal action.”
Students organised a sit-in outside the door of President Anderson's office on Wednesday, in a move they hoped would pressure her to get involved.
While the sit-in was successful in garnering Anderson's response, many students felt her promises fell short.
“President Anderson told us that she cannot get involved and was only able to promise us that she would email the AUC community and set up a forum this Thursday for all parties interested in discussing the situation,” said junior Zahra Srour.
Srour added: “She has the capability of doing much more than this,” explaining that the university intervened in a similar situation a few years ago when non-Egyptian AUC students were detained during protests at Mohamed Mahmoud.
While no more than one hundred or so students were present at last week's sit-in and today's protests, participants maintain their resolve.
Speaking from the sit-in last Wednesday, freshman Adham Mohamedein said: “It is true that not many AUCians seem interested in joining us to take up the cause of Ghandour andBoghdady, but we will continue our efforts. Last year, students closed the university's entrance gates in protest at the administration's decision to raise tuition fees and that's a course of action we are still considering.”
The student protesters are part of a movement called AUCians Against Military Rule, a student activist group dedicated to fightingthulm, an Arabic term which loosely translates to injustice.
According to senior political science major, Jihad Abaza, the group has been active since the fall semester and has been demonstrating on behalf of Ghandour and Boghdady since their detention in December.
The forum to discuss the five-year prison sentences of Ghandour andBoghdadywill take place at AUC this Thursday.
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