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On 28th January, Mohammed Zaghloul was on his way home when he was stopped by the popular committees. They violently attacked him and then handed him over to the military police.
He bought a pen there. They sold him a pen for 1 pound.
He collected cigarette package paper, to write a letter just like this one.
I collected the papers - he numbered them 1, 2, 3 and so on. I put them together into one letter.
So he writes, "Friday 28th January 2011,"
"As I was returning from work, on Makram Ebeid St, I found a small pick-up truck calling for passengers to Tabbeh & the 10th District"
"So I hailed the ride, and before the end of Makram Ebeid street, the car stopped."
"Chaos, beating, I passed out from all the beatings"
"I only regained consciousness in the Military Police headquarters in the 10th district
"I was surprised with humiliation and more and more beating."
"I went without food or drink until the morning of Sunday 30th January 2011"
"I was stood, with cuffed hands and feet, before the Prosecutor"
"He was writing, and I did not know what he was writing"
"He told me to sign, and I asked him what I would be signing,"
"I received an electric shock in my back, so I signed, and I did not know what I was signing,"
"We were transferred to El Wadi El Gedid prison on Saturday 12th February 2011,"
"And I do not know what I did to earn this suffering and torture."
"I urge you to rescue me from this torture, this is injustice,"
"And the sentence has reached 5 years; this is unfair, I swear to God, unfair."
"Rescue us. (signed) The prisoners of El Wadi El Gedid."
When I went to see my brother, I found many prisoners that no one knew were there
They wrote their names on the cigarette pack paper
They would give me the papers with their names and their families' phone numbers
I would call their families and tell them to go see them in El Wadi el Gedid
And save them before they are stuck with a ruling of up to 5 years
I would ask them, was your son arrested doing something?
They'd say "he was returning home during the curfew"
But was he arrested with any kind of weapon, or stolen goods?
They would say no. I told them to get to them before 28th March, when the sentence would be finalized.
It's these youths who will run the country and build it up again
Or is it that you want it destroyed?
You keep hearing different sentences, 5, 7 and 10 years...
For what reason?! What kind of ruling...
Even a thief wouldn't get 5 years.
They want to tell us that it's the youth who ruined the country.
They don't want the police to look like they're wrong. They want the people to feel they're responsible, that the youth are at fault
The military forces are the ones running the country. Why don't they sort it out?
Just because some youth want to voice their opinions, take their freedom... they should be jailed?
Is that it, do we have to live in fear forever?
We don't want fear. We want freedom.
When Mohamed's family went to visit him in prison, the military authorities permitted them only 15 minutes of visiting time. On April 7 before a military tribunal he was sentenced to one year in prison.