CAIRO: A friend of activist Asmaa Mahfouz has started a hunger strike in solidarity with the social-media activist. Rasha Yousry told al-Youm al-Saba'a newspaper that she is entering a hunger strike to protest the use of military trials against Egyptian citizens. Yousry said that her hunger strike is to “ease the sentence” against Mahfouz, although she rejects all military trials against the citizens. She added that the goal of Mahfouz's military trial is “to intimidate citizens into not expressing their opinions,” adding, “despite living in Alexandria, I decided to come to Cairo to support my friend.” Mahfouz is accused of slander against the SCAF and inciting people against the country's current ruling authority. She has denied the charges, saying she only criticized the SCAF as the the body “performing presidential duties in the country and not for its role as the military.” The news angered many human rights activists in Egypt. Amnesty International has called for the immediate dismissal of charges against her. BM
