The government clampdown on anti-war activists is not over. Amira Howeidy investigates the case of Ashraf Ibrahim Yesterday, 30 July, was the ninth time -- since he was arrested on 20 April -- that 34-year old anti-war activist Ashraf Ibrahim appeared in front of the prosecutor to be interrogated. The last four interrogations involved the prosecutor asking Ibrahim just one question: "Do you have anything to say?" He didn't. Despite the fact that no specific accusations have been put forth against him, the prosecutor has -- every single time -- renewed the activist's imprisonment for 15 days "pending investigations". For 100 days, Ibrahim, an engineer who used to work at multinational communication giant Alcatel, has been held in a tiny cell in Tora prison with 40 other people. His lawyers don't know why he was arrested nor do they have an explanation for the continuing renewal of his detention. What they do know is that the police are scrutinising the hard drive from Ibrahim's confiscated computer. "There are no accusations and no serious charges," said Ahmed Ragheb of the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre, which is handling the case, "except that he was in touch with human rights groups, centres and Web sites. They checked the history of his browser and confronted him with visiting the Al-Jazeera Web site, and with disseminating pictures of the anti-war demonstrations that took place in Egypt, over the Internet." Police raided Ibrahim's house in the early hours of 17 April. He was out of town on business at the time, and his wife and three-year-old daughter had to endure the two-hour search that followed. His computer, scanner, digital camera, contracts and important papers were confiscated. Warda Ali, his 30-year-old wife, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the police failed to show a search warrant. The next day, she filed an official complaint with the public prosecutor objecting to the dawn raid. "In the investigations that followed," she said, "the officer who conducted the raid actually issued a search warrant dated 18 April to cover up for not having one when the raid actually occurred." Ibrahim's case is not unique. Clampdowns on activists involved in Palestine and Iraq solidarity activities, or anti-Israel, anti-American or anti-war demonstrations have become commonplace. Although the constitution permits peaceful demonstrations, tolerates political dissent and freedom of expression, the Emergency Law which has been in effect since 1981 broadens the security apparatus's authority to include detention without trial, searches without warrants and similar contraventions of due process. The crackdown on anti-war activists reached its peak when police rounded up over 800 people, who were briefly arrested on 21 March. Eighty-eight of them -- including two MPs -- were then remanded in custody for 15 days pending investigations. As the anti-war furor subsided, most of the activists were released. This was followed by a much smaller wave of arrests in April that targeted journalists and students. That's when Ibrahim was arrested, and at present, he is the only member of this group that has not yet been released. As his detention went beyond the "regular" length of time anti-war activists are often held for, Ibrahim and his lawyers became alarmed, especially considering the fact that prosecutors wouldn't press charges against him. Eventually, during his 29 June interrogation session, Ibrahim demanded an appearance before an investigating judge to review his detention. Because his demand has been ignored, Ibrahim has now issued a statement from prison saying he will go on a hunger strike if he is not released or referred to court. Meanwhile, a statement issued by the New York- based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on 17 July said that Ibrahim's imprisonment without trial "shows the government's intent to punish and discourage peaceful dissent". A month ago, a solidarity campaign was formed to support Ibrahim. A petition signed by 300 people was presented to the prosecutor-general asking him to detain the signatories "for the same reasons Ibrahim was being detained for". There was no response from the prosecutor-general. According to a statement issued by the committee this week, the detained activist was fired from Alcatel without warning on Tuesday. "Whether or not Ibrahim was fired for not having been to work for the past 100 days," said the statement, "or whether the company came under pressure from the State Security Investigation (SSI), the SSI's fingerprints are clearly there." Ibrahim, a leftist, is a founding member of the Egyptian Committee in Solidarity with the Palestinian Intifada (ECSPI). He participated in several demonstrations against the war in Iraq, as well as several anti-Israeli and anti-American, Palestine solidarity demonstrations. He also serves as secretary of the Association on Health and Environmental Development, an Egyptian non-governmental organisation, and is a member of the Adala (Justice) Labour rights group. He was previously arrested in 1995 when he took part in an anti-Israeli demonstration at the Nasr City Fair Grounds protesting Israel's first-ever participation in the Cairo Industrial Fair. His current arrest, however, remains puzzling. Despite his activist background, Ibrahim is not a leading figure in the anti-war movement, or the anti- Israel, anti-US demonstrations that began with the Palestinian Intifada in September 2000, and which later linked up with the Iraq-solidarity demonstrations this spring. Despite its political nature, Ibrahim's case also touches on issues of Internet freedom. Although no law governs Internet usage in Egypt, Ibrahim's lawyer said that one of the most shocking elements of his case was the fact that his client's online activities are being used against him. Stating the obvious, HRW's statement reminded prosecutors that "accessing news and human rights information from the Internet is a basic right, not a crime." Ibrahim's wife believes that her husband's lengthy detention may have more to do with his refusing to accept a police offer asking him to testify against 20 to 30 anti-war activists in exchange for his freedom. "He refused, and I think that's why he's still in prison," she said. The other reason, she added, is that from a police perspective, her husband's arrest sets an example for "other activists", although "this has never worked and people will continue to speak their minds anyway, despite the intimidation." Despite the courage she demonstrated in handling the dawn raid three months ago, Warda says that experience wasn't frightening in itself. More worrying for her is "not being able to feel safe" when she's asleep. That fear, she said, "remains with me till this day".
