http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1770&ea.campaign.id=18668&ea.url.id=127298&ea.campaigner.email=4PH318B4QP8bTUURO9nMPBFFMe9grgD0&ea_broadcast_target_id=0
You will no doubt remember the hope for human rights that surrounded uprisings in the streets of Egypt during the Arab Spring. These events led to the eventual fall of Egypt's government 2 years ago. But do you remember that one awful moment during the subsequent police crackdown when someone captured on video the scene of a young woman being beaten by police? Azza Hilal Ahmad Suleiman is the 49-year-old Egyptian woman who was beaten unconscious for trying to help that young woman.
Amnesty International is calling on all supporters to speak out for justice for Azza. Please join our call to action for this vital case for women's rights.
This is what happened: On December 17, 2011, as Azza and a friend were leaving a sit-in near Cairo’s Tahrir Square, she saw a group of soldiers beating a young woman. The soldiers had pulled the woman’s clothes down to expose her, and had beaten her badly. The soldiers told her and her friend to go away, but Azza did not want to leave the woman. She, her friend and other protesters tried to carry the young woman away.
The soldiers knocked Azza to the ground and an army officer shot her friend in the knee with a pistol. The soldiers beat Azza until she lost consciousness and continued beating her even after she lost unconsciousness.
Activists captured the attack on video and posted it on-line. Egyptians were outraged at the video, and protested against the attack. The undressed female protester has not revealed her identity to the public, although her close friends say she participated in the Cabinet sit-in.
The authorities have not held any member of the armed forces to account for attacking her nor have they given her any assistance to help her recover.
Please join Amnesty International's urgent call for an investigation into the beating of Azza
Thank you for sharing my concern for the rights of Azza Suleiman.
Sincerely,
Alex Neve,
Secretary General,
Amnesty International Canada
P.S. This case is so important for the future of women's rights in Egypt. If those responsible for Azza's attack are not made accountable, it sends a clear and dire message to women across Egypt that they will not be protected if they speak out for their rights. Please take action today.
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