Egyptian Military Arrests Blogger

An Egyptian blogger has been arrested, charged and sentence to three years in prison by Egypt's governing military council for the "crime" of criticizing the military and allegedly spreading false information against the council. His imprisonment marks the Egyptian political prisoner and prisoner of conscience in the post-Mubarak Egypt and is a cautionary tale about the military's true face and the prospects for a genuine liberal democracy in a new Egypt.

egypt military spokesman Uwuqj 19672

The Egyptian military council's abuses in the post-Mubarak era did not start with Maikel Nabil, 26, the blogger in question, but early on Egyptians were still being arrested, beaten in Tahrir Square (two were even killed as the military recently cleared a sit-in), and there were horrific accounts of abuse in the Egyptian museum were women were subject to humiliating and undignified "virginity tests" by army officers. The military has also put forth a law banning protests under a state of emergency, which remains in effect until September. All this suggests that the military is hardly a vassal for liberalism and the only hope for Egypt is the continuing protests by the Egyptian people to strengthen pressure on the ruling council and always keep a skeptical eye on.

It was always naive for the Egyptian people to trust the army and proclaim the people and the army as "one hand". Egypt's regime was a military regime and Mubarak was a former air force general. It is not for nothing that the military was placed in several cabinet positions and other key officers normally reserved for civilians, and that Mubarak was publicly surrounded by the military elite in his final days. The military's spokesman even called for the protests to end and only grudgingly accepted the revolution because it had not other choice expect a bloody crackdown, which was not palpable. The military has great perquisites in Egypt and was fully entrenched in the oppressive ruling order. And during the revolution played a perfidious role with Egyptians. Posing as a defender but then entrapping them against unofficial Mubarak thugs. Red beret soldiers still went around attacking Egyptians in those days as well.

And now this nonsense oppression:

The charges against Mr. Nabil included insulting the military establishment and spreading false information about the armed forces. The tribunal charged him with spreading information previously published by human rights organizations like Amnesty International on the army’s use of violence against protesters, the torture of those detained inside the Egyptian Museum and the use of forced pelvic exams, known as “virginity tests,” against detained female protesters.

The main evidence against Mr. Nabil, who blogged under the name “Son of Ra,” was a CD containing 73 screen shots of entries on his blog and his personal Facebook page, according to Heba Morayef, a researcher in Egypt for Human Rights Watch, which is based in New York.

Human Rights Watch had been calling for Mr. Nabil’s release for days.

The Egyptian military is no hero, it supported Mubarak and was never an independent institution but part of the matrix of oppression. The former head of the domestic secret police was himself a general. The military committed some of the worst horrors in Egypt and still maintains thuggish practices of repression and crushing of dissent. Many still harbor the arrogance of unrestrained power. And it will be awhile before they learn respect for rights. The Egyptians never should have or should still trust the opaque council of generals...but continue to declare their rights in the face of all oppression and reminder the military they still know the way to Tahrir (Liberation) Square, and the military better appreciate that they people are in charge.