By Bree Bailey | Contributor
After four years of unjust imprisonment and brutal torture in Egypt, Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa was finally declared innocent on Sept. 18, 2017.
Halawa was one of nearly 500 protesters arrested during an uprising in 2013. These individuals were imprisoned and falsely accused of crimes including breaking into a mosque, murdering 44 people and possessing illegal firearms.
Amnesty International informs that, although the release of Halawa is a great first step, there are still 442 others who have been sentenced to five years or more of imprisonment. U.S. citizen Ahmed Etiwy was one of the individuals caught up in the chaos. As a result of the mass trial, Etiwy is now sentenced to five years in prison. There is a pressing need for these innocent people to be retried in a just manner, or simply released, until concrete evidence can be found against them.
What is the cause of this unreasonable mass trial? In August of 2013, former President of Egypt Mohammed Morsi was forcibly removed from office by current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Morsi's supporters rallied in protest against this uprising. As a result, violence broke out and nearly 1,000 protesters were killed. Security used unnecessary lethal force, which was never dealt with in court. Instead, hundreds of protesters were abducted without any solid evidence backing these arrests.
Since this uprising in 2013, thousands of protesters have "vanished" and found themselves trapped in Egyptian prisons. They have been denied family visits or lawyers and are often treated with brutality and abuse.
Najia Bounaim, Amnesty's North African spokesperson stated, "These proceedings expose the deep flaws in Egypt's notorious criminal justice system."
Nelva Nse Ndong, an Egyptian who is now studying at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), declares she does not support Morsi nor the current president. In her perspective, Morsi was a dictator and a killer, and the current president was also involved in these shootings. She said the revolution against Morsi felt like new freedom for many people.
"I don't like the fact that the government is very much corrupted. . . . Discrimination against people of different ethnicities is a huge issue in my country," Nse Ndong said.
Nse Ndong thinks the protestors had a lot of courage to stand up to the government. Fighting for justice is vital to protecting more of her people's innocent lives from being taken. Imagine if fellow students on campus were beaten and taken captive for expressing their opinion about the way Taylor is run. Would you not stand up for their right to free speech and fair trial?
Are you passionate about equal rights for people around the world? Amnesty International is an organization that stands up for the rights of humankind. They fight for the groups that do not have a voice of their own. You can get involved by visiting the website www.amnesty.org.
For those pursuing careers related to marketing, research, international law, global operations, fundraising and organizations such as Amnesty are in desperate need of your help. In the meantime, pray for those in Egypt and their families who are facing an uncertain future under the volatile Egyptian government.
