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joining us is james lynch middle east and north africa press officer for
n_b_c_ international fresh back i think literally just hours from cairo out
thanks for joining us on such short notice james
thanki acted evening
so first of all tell us how long were you in cairo and what was the extent of
your of your travel there and what were you involved in
am i was in net cairo as part of the delegation from the comes to
international research team as a small team of three ab
and which we deployed on sunday we've got to be wanted to go on saturday but
i'll plane from london was was turned around justice kirti situations that we
still a tough when i returned last night an the we're leaving them to the rescue
team
there
we what we were doing was we deployed at short notice because of the the
deteriorating
human rights situation to monitor developments on the ground and also to
particularly looking to you
that the events or or rather persisted
after twenty six tell me a little bit about while you were there
ariz specifically where in cairo where you were you in the area that has been
the topic of ninety percent of the of news around the world for the last week
tell me a little bit about that
tricky i spent a long time allotted time in around red square which is where the
demonstrations our focus have been cyclists and
uh... i spent time with protesters an and
and it with
to it
exhibits it's very patton's
israelis environment risk whereas usually a very busy square foot of
traffic and the press is effectively had effectively taken over square
and what what you had was that
twenty square
every single entrance square ms about seven of them initially you have to
pastor in all me roadblock an army block whether the army soldiers switzer cheap
this is because effectively when i arrived the police and rod please pat
vanish from the city
dot was following and at
two days of of of extreme violence an over friday the twenty eight is up to
twenty nine two january and
the is that he only had had taken over effectively that at the company sing in
central colorado
so it's so basically what you're saying here is to get to the point at which a
lot of the physical conflicts that we're seeing reported on t_v_ were taking
place
there was there was a very clear staging and entry process it's not just the free
for all the way many people believe it is
absolutely right yep at every single checkpoint i came to my back was
searched very thoroughly abt absurd except by the army to begin with
and then every single staged an ives until you got stuck for a square not my
idea was checked every time did you feel that you were in danger did where you
personally attacked how is it delineated i mean we heard anderson cooper the
american journalist was attacked yesterday
is there a clear delineation between who is press and observers in who are i
don't know participants in what in the violence
well i think the distinction that simple to make a risky span
are yest cargo
just as a point at which deep first promo bart from afar rally was good
about to take place as literally as i stepped onto the plane ice on the t_v_
screens that it was starting an
until that point i ought
when i wasn't a risk where un
i t
never felt threatened by anything other than potential crowds such man
people were very friendly that of course either you are treated differently as a
foreigner or as an observer so this sumption most people assume that i was
journalist explained that i was actually here with a quick in cairo with the
human rights organization can you address how what was it was at risk here
was this was the situation for you to get back to the airport and leave where
you want to commercial flight
another and was this all still like you said before the situation escalated upon
your leverage
anemic its website but i i came back i plan to come back on that day anyway i
was thinking it was interesting decision that i had to leave them
et but but on the same flights as me
were at year end
loot loads of the people not flatware evacuating you know that there were
people from different organizations except absolutely packed flight people
who are already saying situations to volatile and was this a commercial
flight that you were on
just because i was very lucky my flight was not cancelled loss of others were
and that's one of the government's all kikuchi had
tapping on charter flights for people
let's address the you have we we originally heard it was one and now it's
been confirmed that there are two of your colleagues an amnesty international
that are being detained in cairo
can you tell me a bit about what were they there to do was a similar role two
years and what do you know about this detention
yeah i mean the day-to-day they were part of the same delegation i was which
we were researchers
at the world
irritations medical sources before i witnessed events speaking human rights
activists and they were they were there to assess the situation and to build a
page document abuses and to bring those to world
and what's happened is that they were no
they were indications cardinal sins which is not far from congress clarence
central connor back at the center is i'm one of each year
the human rights sentencing in the center of cairo it works on behalf of
protesters who works on behalf of of
of of of detainees of him victims of these of extremely politically repressed
system in egypt it was working too
provide support those who've been detained and see helped waves n
to help them
deeply been injured to try to talk to intrude on eight as well and strikes
what with the victims' families so it's very very important to keep on the drums
international and for other international and human rights ngos and
if the
they were they were
these two members of our team work indeed the center at that point jsp
working in a park ship with the local the local activists when and
squeals thama military police at
surrounded the building
and this it's probably worth saying m
filled the broader picture it's within sight of a organizes a which in its
looking and attacks
will being i've been arrested international and local where alan
camera equipment is being confiscated from journalists and so at the same time
as you had a crackdown on journalists
and you also a crackdown on human rights activists manhattan organizations across
the country you know the conditions of where they are being held
snow globe so said at the first of all the military police has surrounded the
the building them against the building
and and held of
a number of of activists including a dirty and kingston ash and international
research and then a an detained demand removed from the south and we do not any
information about where they are have you had any contact with them or is this
all based on the fact that you cannot
didn't get the hold of them
should we spoke to them as the security forces were surrounding
the al
property and in fact we took recording a phone call from one of the members which
is on on the amnesty international web site for two people are interested to
hear it and
and we'd be spokesman up until the point d_e_c_ digital center in at which point
advocate defense was
it was supposed to be some offense
one of two
it at that time was answered but then
there was no
there was no people's pants and do you have reason to believe that their lives
are in danger do you have reason to believe that they're being held but they
are ok and what are you going on at this point
shrill absolutely no information about and what we're doing is working uh...
we are doing as well as as as making as much noise in public about this is
weekend and stranding separate religion authorities we're also working through
various different beat official channels the relevant authorities but i must make
so yeah i mean there was a bit they'll try
among among the allow a much larger group of human rights workers from other
international organizations and local so it's it's not just an unveiled to see we
are deeply concerned about our staff at the friends of ours you know i was you
know i was out there in cairo with him so i'm i'm very worried about is the
level an
but we have to focus on the facts as well that there is a much broader cheer
you notice is despicable paint entertained across the across the city
and absolutely
james lynch middle east and north africa press officer from amnesty international
best of luck to you and your colleagues and to everybody in cairo thanks so much
for doing this and short notice we're very grateful
thanks a lot could stay cheap okay thanks