Two Canadian men held for more than a month in an Egyptian prison without formal charges announced this week they had begun a hunger strike demanding their release from Cairo’s infamous Tora Prison where political prisoners are languishing.
The two men’s plight, largely ignored by mainstream media for weeks, has finally spurred Canadian coverage of what is being described by family and friends as gross human rights “violations.”
Tarek Loubani and John Greyson were arrested in Cairo on August 16, reportedly en route to make a film about hospitals in Gaza. Government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Occupy.com that the pair are being investigated for their role at a Muslim Brotherhood-led protest that saw violence.
As of Friday, they are on Day 5 of their hunger strike and Canadian Embassy officials in Cairo have reported the two are in “good health.”
Loubani, a filmmaker, and Greyson, a university professor, said on a website calling for their freedom that they were arrested as they were making their way to Gaza last month, counter to official responses.
“We can only imagine the anguish that John and Tarek feel after realizing that their detention could be extended for so long in what can only be described as an arbitrary process that lacks any credibility,” Cecilia Greyson, John’s sister, said on Monday in comments published by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
She also said that the pair’s lawyer told their families that the Canadians could be detained for up to two years without any charges being filed.
“We know that they did not take the decision to begin a hunger strike lightly, and we want them to know we will do everything we can to support them and get them home soon," Cecilia said.
Other international groups are joining the global campaign that is growing exponentially to help set the two free. Already, a Change.org petition calling for their release has garnered around 140,000 signatures and Amnesty International has urged the Egyptian government to set the two foreigners free.
On the tarekandjohn.com website, which updates supporters daily on their situation, the pair wrote: “Our lawyers in Cairo have appealed the detention order, and have submitted complaints to various officials in Egypt about the continued detainment.”
But that is unlikely to see any fruit in the near future, especially if the government aims at linking them to the embattled Muslim Brotherhood, which had waged protests and gun battles against the government following the toppling of former President and Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi on July 3.
“I highly doubt we will see any real movement in this situation until the Canadian government itself speaks openly and publicly to the Egyptian government on the plight of these two people,” said a Canadian foreign ministry official, who spoke to Occupy.com via telephone.
The official expressed the belief that Egypt's government is wanting “to make a point” to other foreigners “not to get involved in the daily happenings in Egypt right now.”
On Sunday, the ministry called on Egyptian authorities to "release all evidence" against Tarek and John. But the petition, calling for more high-level support, stated: “We believe it will take ongoing public outcry in order to force the Canadian and Egyptian Governments to find a resolution and secure their freedom.”
But their situation faces a new strain after a French citizen was reportedly beaten to death at a Cairo police station last weekend after being arrested after curfew for not having proper identification papers. The death has sparked fears that foreigners being detained could face violence from their fellow inmates.
With the turbulent situation in Egypt, foreigners are often facing the brunt of the angst, with arrests like that of the Canadians and others leading to international headlines. But as violence has appeared to subside in the past few weeks, hope for the men is growing that their ordeal could soon come to an end.
Without formal charges being filed, however, it could be days, weeks or even months before they are allowed to return home.
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