Written by Egyptian Journalist Naglaa Bedeir and published in Al-Dustoor independant newspaper, May 25, 2007
Weblogs of his friends have installed a counter to count days since he was arrested. “We are counting it by minutes like you Moneim, he was detained on April, 15, 2007, for such days, hours and a minutes; right now while I am writing, Moneim is detained for 39 days, pending the case of the Agricultural Cooperation Institute, and he appeared yesterday before the state security prosecution who detained him for more 15 days .
“Moneim your stronger, therefore, they imprisoned you”; this is another slogan adopted by bloggers showing solidarity with Moneim. It is true, he is stronger, more elevated and will outlive them .
Moneim’s charge is comic: terrorism, running outlawed group, deviating student activities and hindering the academic process, although he does not know where the Agricultural Institute is located and he met students of this institute for the first time in prison. His real charge which he adopts and always reiterates is that He is” Loving Egypt so much and I hope to see it free of corruption and tyranny.”
Moneim’s father is bedridden in a hospital in Alexandria. He suffers from hepatic fibrosis and is in a coma. When Moneim’s mother visited him in prison last week, he wrote in her hand and wrote a message to his father (His jailors denied him paper) and he said in the message:” Forgive me because I did not carry you and left you to hands of strangers to carry you to hospital and wipe your tears and blood; please dad.. wait for me till I come to see you… no not die…wait for me and be proud because I am jailed for your freedom and for loving my nation …be merry about me”.
Moneim is jailed in Tora’s Mahkum prison with criminals is in a 3*7metre cell sheltering 22 inmates along with many epidemics, the most serious of which are scabies, all kinds of drugs, insects, saying bad names, harassment and assaults. They are kept inside the cell for 23 hours a day.
After intervention of Human Rights Organizations and student’s hunger strike, some of them were moved to Torah farm prison, where better conditions are afforded, but Moneim is still held in Torah’s Mahkum.
I visited, once, a son of a colleague of mine at Boulak Abo Al Ela police station because he was held for taking drugs. The police station is a very good looking and clean archeological building. The police station’s commissioner was very polite. When he saw us he said:” Of course you want to see Haitham ( the son of my friend) all his visitors are journalists” and he asked us politely to enter a small side room and he brought in Haitham, who sat silent and made up smile on his face; then, his lips quivered suddenly and he became tear-eyed and said:” I am nearly chocked I can’t bear it”; I was about to cry and my fried cried. We brought him Kentucky sandwiches, cigarettes, juice and bottled water, and we accompanied him to the cell. I saw in the cell chair beside a wide window that overlooks the back garden of the police station. I said to him tenderly:” You are well-served here”
“It is a prison after all” he said. And he was released on the following day!!.
