CAIRO – The news that Libyan revolutionary fighters have arrested 15 Egyptian fishermen and seized their boats has greatly shocked the Egyptian nation, which is celebrating the success of Tripoli's freedom fighters in ending the 42-year old regime of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The shock caused to the Egyptians at home increased after press reports indicated that the arrested fishermen were mistreated, abused and beaten brutally by the Libyan revolutionaries. They were also allegedly denied food and drink in their detention. The Egyptian fishermen have been accused of violating the Libyan water territory off Misrata. They are also facing charges of illegally fishing in Libyan waters. Also, last month, the Tunisian revolutionaries, who ousted president Zine al-Abidine Bin Ali, reportedly arrested 26 Egyptian fishermen for the same charges, including their role in allegedly causing damage to a vessel of the Tunisian navy. Appeals by the Egyptian fishermen that they were manoeuvring to escape violent weather were deliberately ignored. Egyptians at home would never ever expect such a hostile attitude from Libyan and Tunisian comrades, who, together with Egyptian revolutionary demonstrators, managed to draw up a new political future in the Arab region. Whether in Tunisia, Libya or Egypt, the successful uprisings in these countries have unfurled the same banner, which is calling for liberty, social justice and democracy. We would have expected this mistreatment of Egyptian fishermen if it had taken place under the paranoid leader Muammar Gaddafi. But mishandling these miserable fishermen in the way that spies and enemies would experience is completely unacceptable and outrageous. I am pretty sure that the Egyptian embassies in Tunis and Tripoli will live up to the motto ‘Raise your head high because you are an Egyptian', which has been the demonstrators' credo in el Tahrir Square, and rescue the Egyptian fishermen. By so doing, they will restore their dignity and pride to them and to their families at home.
