April 6 Youth movement announced on Wednesday that it would escalate its members’ hunger strike in the upcoming days until the protest law is cancelled.
In a press conference held Wednesday afternoon, Amr Ali, the movement’s coordinator announced that it supported the hunger strike movement. Ali spoke of ‘the empty stomach” against the protest law which he described as “unconstitutional,” demanding the release of the detainees imprisoned because of the law.
“April 6 Youth movement is against any law suppressing protests but it is not against any law to organise them” Ali said.
Zizo Abdo, the leading member of April 6 Youth movement announced that 30 members of the political youth movement that played a crucial role in the 25 January revolution have joined the nationwide hunger strike.
During the press conference members of the movement read the statement of Ahmed Maher, the founder of the organisation who is currently serving three years in jail for illegal protesting.
“The regime does not care for the thousands unjustly imprisoned because of the protest law, it does not care that some of them lost their jobs because of it or that there are doctors, engineers, professors and journalists in jail because of the law because they care more for the stability of their rule,” Maher said in his statement.
“Today our battle is the battle of the empty stomach, the only thing we have to fight injustice is our bodies and what is its use if it is isolated from your life, your family and your children?” Maher said in his letter declaring his hunger strike until his release.
Ahmed Maher, leading April 6 Youth member Mohamed Adel as well as activist Ahmed Douma were sentenced to three years in prison and were fined LE50,000 for illegal protesting and assaulting security forces last November.
The court of urgent matters in Cairo banned all the activities of April 6 Youth accusing them of espionage last April.
On Saturday a group of political parties and movements announced their support for the growing hunger strike. The strike initially began in Egyptian prisons by detainees imprisoned on charges of violating the protest law but later spread to activists and politicians outside of prison too.
According to estimations, no less than 80 detainees in prisons all over the country announced their hunger strike over the past three weeks.
Recently government officials hinted that the controversial protest law issued November 2013 was going to be amended soon.
Source : Ahram online
