Ahmed Maher (youth leader)
Ahmed Maher (born 2 December 1980 in Alexandria) is one of the co-founders of the April 6 Youth Movement, and a prominent participant in the anti-Mubarak demonstrations in Egypt in 2011.[1][2]
He is a civil engineer[3] who works for a construction firm in New Cairo.
Maher attempted to organize several demonstrations after April 2008.[4] However, his efforts were hindered both by interference from Egyptian security forces[5][6] and internal divisions within the April 6 movement. In June 2010, Maher helped organize a protest against the killing, by Egyptian police, of Khaled Said, a young resident of Alexandria. Maher has expressed support for the potential bid of Mohamed ElBaradei for the Egyptian presidency.[7]
He appeared in the 2011 BAFTA award-winning film, How to Start a Revolution.
Maher was detained on 29 November 2013 for holding a demonstration against a new Egyptian protest law. On 22 December 2013, together with other opposition leaders Ahmed Douma and Mohammed Adel, Maher was sentenced to three years in prison as a punishment for protests against recent steps by the Egyptian military government.[8] Maher was expected to appeal to further judgment.[9] The international community, including the U.S. State Department[10] and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France,[11] criticized the court’s decision in the context of human rights in Egypt. In March 2014 Maher's lawyer complained that Maher, Douma and Adel were beaten by courthouse guards before an appeal hearing.[12] Hamdeen Sabahi has censured the court conviction sentencing Ahmed Maher, Mohamed Adel and Ahmed Douma to three years in prison and a fine of LE50,000 and maintains that Interim President Adly Mansour should issue these and other detained individuals a pardon.[13] The Constitution Party has expressed solidarity with the detainees and their families and requested that the interim President Adly Mansour issue a pardon to Ahmed Maher, Mohammed Adel, and Ahmed Douma, as well as to Loay Abdel Rahman, Omar Hussein, Islam Ahmed, and Nasser Ibrahim.[14]
See also
- Asmaa Mahfouz
- George Ishak
- Ahmed Ghanem
- Armored man
- Wael Ghonim
- Hossam el-Hamalawy
- Mona Seif
- Ihab Belal
- Ahmed harara
- Esra Abdel Fattah
References
- ↑ Esam Al-Amin, From Counter-Attack to Departure Day, Counterpunch, 4 February 2011
- ↑ David Wolman, Did Egypt Detain a Top Facebook Activist? , Wired, 2 February 2011
- ↑ CyberDissidents.org,Ahmed Maher
- ↑ Sherif Mansour, Egypt's Facebook showdown, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2008
- ↑ Liam Stack,Egypt detains Facebook activists – again, Christian Science Monitor, 30 July 2008
- ↑ David Wolman, Cairo Activists Use Facebook to Rattle Regime, Wired, 23 July 2008
- ↑ Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Profile of Ahmed Maher, (accessed on 8 Feb 2011)
- ↑ Kareem Fahim, In Blow to Leadership of ’11 Revolt, Egypt Activists Are Given 3 Years in Prison, NY Times, December 22, 2013 [1]
- ↑ Fady Ashraf, Three years in prison for activists, Daily News Egypt, December 22, 2013 [2]
- ↑ U.S. State Department: Press Release, December 23, 2013
- ↑ Ministère des Affaires étrangères: Press Release, December 23, 2013
- ↑ Lawyer: Egypt Activists Beaten in Courthouse
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