The C.R.I.M.E. Report

ISSUE #50 CONTENTS:


SPOTLIGHT CASES:

R.I.P. Fathi Eljahmi

On May 22, Libyan dissident Fathi Eljahmi, interviewed just a few weeks ago in The CRIME Report, died as result of health complication after the Libyan government denied him healthcare during his six years’ imprisonment.

Fathi’s story started with a lonely statement demanding reform in Libyan society in a television interview which promptly got him arrested for “defaming” Libyan leader Qaddafi. His story quickly attracted international attention because of his brother Mohamed’s relentless efforts to secure his release. "It was torture," Mohamed declared after hearing the grim news. "They let him die, slowly, painfully. It was torture."

A few years ago, it briefly appeared that the international campaign for Fathi would succeed when the Libyan regime temporarily freed him – yet Fathi and his family were quickly re-arrested. Despite statements of support from former President Bush and current Vice-President Biden, international pressure seemed to fizzle in the past few years, leaving Fathi and his family to face fate alone. Fathi’s death serves as a reminder that realpolitik decisions can cost Mideast reformer their lives, but his firm stand for justice until the end offers an inspiring legacy.



WANTED to Remain Anonymous No More: Mariam Bazeed

Mariam Bazeed – for several years that name could not be mentioned publicly. The young Egyptian turned in provocative submissions to the HAMSA Essay Contest, yet she checked the box requesting anonymity. This year, however, Mariam’s essay declared her readiness to go public and requested that all her previous entries now be revised to include her real name. The CRIME Report spoke with this emerging writer to learn more about her recent transformation.

Why did you start writing about injustice?
At age 16 I traveled to the US and saw The Satanic Verses on display in a bookstore.  I still remember the delicious thrill of picking it up and purchasing it. The book had been banned in many Muslim countries, and I felt I was being let in on a secret. That was my first real exposure to writers who had been silenced, and Salman Rushdie was an auspicious start! It seemed monstrous that his remarkable voice had been exiled permanently from the Arab world and its unfortunate readers. Reading Nawal El Saadawi felt the same. I decided that if they were so greatly feared, then they must wield great power. But the first time I in fact wrote about any injustices was for the HAMSA essay contest.

Why did you originally write anonymously - what were you afraid of?
I was afraid of everything! My imagination knew no bounds, and my government had given it reason to expect the very worst. We have imprisoned citizens for the most minor of perceived insults to the system - both the governmental and the religious system.  I was also afraid of a cultural backlash in a society that values conformity and vilifies those who step too far from our established mores. That is an added pressure the Arab world exerts against nonconformists: There is formal punishment, meted out by the government, and there is an informal one, based on social rejection.

What caused you to change your mind about being anonymous?
I attended a conference in Europe on democracy and met Saad Eddin Ibrahim, who has himself been imprisoned for speaking against the government. He told a story about trying to organize a protest during an election period. Out of the many who had initially committed to participating, people kept dropping out until only 8% of  those who had originally committed actually attended in the rally. He called this 8% the “Egyptian bravery coefficient” (“mo3addal el shaga3a”). If we all choose anonymity and decide not to show up, nothing changes. I am no political activist, but I resolved to put whatever talents I do have toward changing reality to fit better with my ideals. Also, would-be young reformers need to know that like-minded people exist and have a voice.  After all, what initially gave me strength was discovering in others an example I wanted to follow. It helps conquer fears of social rejection, by showing people there is a community in which their opinions and their right to express them are valued.



The Dissidents Left Behind: Roxana Saberi Speaks Out

Arrested on January 31 and only released a few weeks ago, Iranian-American reporter Roxana Saberi garnered international headlines for several weeks when the Iranian regime accused her of being a spy. As a correspondent for major international news agencies, Saberi has emerged as one of the most prominent recent “dissidents” jailed in Iran. But now that she is back in the US, Saberi is using her media appearances to tell the story of the brave women she left behind when she was freed from prison.

Last week, Saberi gave an interview to NPR about her time in jail, noting: “After several weeks, I was put into a cell with them – many of those women were there because they are standing up for human rights or the freedom of belief or expression. Many of them are still there today; they don’t enjoy the kind of international support that I did.  And they’re not willing to give in to pressures to make false confessions or to sign off to commitments not to take part in their activities once they’re released; they would rather stay in prison and stand up for those principles that they believe in.

“They gave me a lot of inspiration.  I learned a lot from those women.  I think they’re some of the most admirable women I’ve met, not only in Iran, but all over the world.  I shared a cell with Silva Harotonian, who is a researcher of health issues, and she’s been sentenced to three years in prison.  I also shared a cell with university students, Baha’is – a wide range of women.”

While we celebrate Saberi’s release, we join her in remembering the heroes who remain in jail and call for renewed pressure to secure their freedom.

 

QUIZ: What goverment just censored itself?

Answer: Syria, which pulled off the market a translation of a 19th Century travelogue about Syria that contained remarks deemed defaming to Syria. Ironically, this same book was published by the Syria’s own Ministry of Culture. The translators of the original Russian book deliberately kept certain portions of the book described as “offensive” to Syria - so the Ministry banned its own book. Syria’s bureaucracy is evidently so efficient that it can censor itself.

BECOME A PARTNER IN CRIME:
Here are quick ways to contribute to the Mideast civil rights movement: