CAIRO: The family of Mikail Nabil Sanad accompanied by human rights activists organized a protest outside the ministry of defense on Monday. The protesters demanded his release and equal treatment for all political prisoners who were tried in military courts by the military. They held banners calling for his release and chanted slogans demanding his freedom. Sanad is serving a three-year sentence handed to him by a military court for a post he wrote on his blog criticizing the military. Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawy, chief of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) recently pardoned hundreds of political detainees on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr holiday that follows the holy month of Ramadan, but not Sanad. Sanad has been on hunger strike for the past five days according to his lawyers and family, and starting Tuesday will stop drinking water and refrain from taking his heart medication. His supporters said Sanad was moved into solitary confinement a few days ago and the prison administration refuses to acknowledge his hunger strike or write an official report over his move. Sanad's supporters blame the rights community for their lack of support over Sanad's views on Israel. Sanad was identified as pro-normalization when it came to the Jewish state, which seems to have lost him the support of many Egyptian bloggers and activists. BM
