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Security forces prohibit Labor Day celebrations
and block Tahrir square
3/5/2004
The annual Labor Day celebration when millions of workers worldwide demand their rights was not marked in Egypt.
Egyptian security forces prohibited trade union leaders, representatives of political and national institutions and civil society organizations from participating in the peaceful Labor Day celebrations planned for Saturday the 1st of May.
Access to Tahrir Square was blocked and people forcibly dispersed, people prevented from reaching the Square.
Some participants were beaten and detained in Wadi el-Nil Café for an hour (among them: Khaled Ali, Afaf Mariiy, Ahmed Fawzy, and Muhamed Abdel Rahman).
Many restaurants and cafes were closed and civilians intimidated. Dr. Tarek Muhamed Said Ahmed was beaten and sustained an eye injury. He received treatment at the Kasr el Ainy Hospital.
Security forces put the Hisham Mubarak Law Center (a member of the Committee for the Defense of Democracy) where some participants were assembling, under siege.
The authorities also detained Khaled Dadawy a member of the El Tagamaa party.
He was severely beaten and then released on Sunday the 2nd of May.
The Committee for the Defense of Democracy condemns these repressive practices which confirm the existence of a police state where liberties are denied and civilians repressed.
Any talk of democratic reform by this regime is merely an illusion.
The Committee for the Defense of Democracy reiterates that Egyptian workers and citizens have the right to hold peaceful celebrations and demonstrations without permission from the Ministry of the Interior.
The Committee for Defense of Democracy
3rd of May 2004
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