#freeyara

[shakespeareandme22-blog]

Deleted scenes from season 7 of Yara in prison. #yaragreyjoy #queenoftheironcouch #housegreyjoy #freeyara #gotseason7

[africanfeministsrock-blog]

The Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa, Ms Reine Alapini-Gansou, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, Ms Faith Pansy Tlakula, of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mr. Michel Forst express their deep concern following the harsh sentences handed down against human rights defenders Sanaa Seif, Yara Sallam and 21 co-accused on Sunday, 26 October 2014 by the Heliopolis Misdemeanor Court in the Arab Republic of Egypt. They are reportedly appealing the ruling.

Joint Press Release on the Verdict against Sanaa Seif, Yara Sallam and 21 Other Co-accused in Egypt, African Commission on Human and People's Rights, 4 November 2014

[mamjahid]

In the Middle East, and elsewhere the State is not part of the solution, it is in fact the core of the problem.

A court in Egypt sentenced today 23 democracy activists to three years in prison because they demonstrated against a new protest law that forbids protests.

In the Middle East, and elsewhere the State is not part of the solution, it is in fact the core of the problem.

Please let me introduce you quickly the concept of the State: It's usually a gang of older men who want to control everything by violence.

In some parts of the world it happened by coincidence, divine will or bloody wars that the state has to deal with a serious number of check and balances (active civil society, independent media, social justice, laicism, a fair and transparent electoral system, a military that is separated from the government, a functioning economy...). We don't have that yet in most of the MENA-countries. It's developing but still too weak to push the state-terror and injustice where it belongs: into history books. 

Now I know that most of our white governments fear the accusation of orientalism, post-colonialism and othering if they start to treat Middle Eastern governments in a more critical way. Please, don't worry. As soon as you begin to respect the freedom and the rights of the people, you do have my full support in real conditionality towards Mister Sisi, the Kings at the Peninsula and other autocrats in and outside the region.

[fatousakory]

My dear friend, co worker and fellow feminist Yara Sallam is in jail for praceful protest aganist the newly adopted unjust protest law. Yara is prominent Human Rights defender, she is awarded the North Africa Shield for Human rights defendersm Yara worked on religious rights, women rights and political and civil rights in local NGO,s and she worked in the African commision of Human Rights. And she is MA holder in law.

[africanfeministsrock-blog]

African Feminist Forum solidarity statement with women's rights defenders arrested and detained in Cairo

As the African Feminist Forum Working Group we are distressed to hear that nine women human rights defenders were arrested on 21 June 2014 in Cairo after participating in a peaceful protest against the Protest and Public Assembly Law[1]. The nine women are: Yara Sallam, Sanaa Seif, Hanan Mustafa Mohamed, Salwa Mihriz, Samar Ibrahim, Rania El-Sheikh, Nahid Sherif (known as Nahid Bebo) and Fikreya Mohamed.

As Africans and as feminists we have witnessed the tremendous leadership of Egyptian women before, during and since the 2011 revolution and in organising for democracy, including taking to streets where they have continued to mobilize despite facing violence and harassment for being women. We know that this is the continuation of a legacy of brave and important activism that Egyptian feminists and women’s rights activists have made across history towards shaping freedom in Egypt.

As the African Feminist Forum Working Group we send out solidarity to our fellow activists and sisters.

We also add our support to the following six demands made by Nazra for Feminist Studies, to the Egyptian authorities:

1. Drop all charges directed at the women human rights defenders and effectuate their immediate and unconditional release;

2. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of all the aforementioned women human rights defenders;

3. Cease the harassment and persecution of human rights defenders and ensure that all human rights defenders in Egypt are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities free from persecution, arbitrary arrest, judicial harassment and physical violence;

4. Ensure that the Protest and Public Assembly Law is revised to be fully compliant with relevant international standards and the newly passed Egyptian constitution;

5. Guarantee the right of women human rights defenders to engage in human rights work and take measures to ensure their protection before the law and in society;

  6. Quash the convictions of other human rights defenders that are based on a Protest and Public Assembly Law and drop all charges stemming from the legitimate exercise of the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

  Signed,

African Feminist Forum Working Group

Date 24th June 2014

  [1] Law No, 107 on the Right to Public Meetings, Processions and Peaceful Demonstrations, passed in 2013

Source: AWDF

#noprotestlaw #egypt #africanfeministforum

[africanfeministsrock-blog]

Yara Sallam- arrested Saturday 21 June 2014 for defending the right of Egyptian citizens to participate in democracy. Self-identified Arab-African feminist; a human rights defender #freeyara