Social media web sites in Egypt were concerned of a question that has been widely repeated for hours and turned into a hashtag, demanding to disclose “where is Ahmed Saeed?”, a journalist and sports journalist who was kidnapped in police vans in front of his house on Tuesday evening and taken to an unknown destination. This was followed by appeals from Saeed’s family and his wife in a video clip to reveal his location, especially after they went to the Al-Agouza neighborhood police station in Giza to ask about him, and the section officers denied his presence or their knowledge of his place. The surprise, after hours of media and electronic uproar, is the police admission of his arrest in implementation of two court rulings of his prison sentence issued against him in reports submitted by Mortada Mansour, president of Zamalek Club, in which he accused him of insulting and slandering.
The sports journalist, famous for his criticism of the president of Zamalek, was kidnapped shortly after Mortada Mansour announced on his Facebook page that he would be arrested and that the Public Prosecutor had ordered his arrest in implementation of the sentences issued against him in absence. The questions about Ahmed Saeed’s place has turned into a question about the power of the President of Zamalek club, who is imprisoning his opponents quickly, and he already knows when they are arrested and the police deny their presence for hours, while there are no investigations with Mortada Mansour.
Mortada has not been prosecuted due to hundreds of reports against him, because of the parliamentary immunity that the parliament repeatedly refused to lift it off him. This reality brings to mind what was known as the “Egypt’s centers of power” during the Nasserite era in the 1960s, when the regime was protecting some of its loyal men, and considered them as speaking in its tongue and expressing its policies, and any criticism to them meant arrest immediately to their opponents.
Ahmed Saeed
The paradox that the activists also observed was that Ahmed Saeed was arrested due to court rulings in absentia for defamation and slander against Mortada Mansour, while the president of Zamalek Club cursed and insulted everyone every day via satellite channels and video clips on the Internet without accountability. Rather, it came to Mortada’s challenge more than once to be tried by someone, saying: “The country has no man but me,” “I challenge anyone to try me.”
After the arrest of Ahmed Saeed, the sports critic Abu Al-Maati Zaki appealed to the Journalists Syndicate to intervene and release him, while the journalist Abdel Nasser Zidan said: “Ahmed Saeed was arrested from the house hours ago and we did not know where he is yet and the lawyers are looking in all police stations.”
The activists also said that the aim of arresting Ahmed Saeed at night and the denial by the police for several hours that he was was in possession of them, before announcing he would be offered to the prosecution (next morning) to appeal the absentee judgments, is to remain him throughout the night in the police station detained with criminals, with the insult and psychological pain to the detainee.
Mortada Mansour
The most important question for followers after the arrest of journalist and journalist Ahmed Saeed in this humiliating image, about the secret of the power of Mortada Mansour, his challenge to the rule of law in Egypt, the rush of state agencies in the implementation of his wishes, and to eliminate his opponents or his protection, and the refusal to lift the parliamentary immunity to prosecute him many times.
Mortada Mansour, president of the Zamalek FC club, managed to win almost all of his many endless battles with politicians, athletes, and artists in Egypt. He closed a satellite channel owned by Ahmed Saeed some time ago, and he closed the “Modern” channel after a fight with the journalist Ahmed Schubert. Rather, he closed the “Foloul” channel. Dancer Sama Al-Masry after his clash with her. Mortada also prevented, Vice President of Zamalek, Hani Al-Attal, who won his position in front of Mortada’s son, from entry to the Board of Directors. Mansour imposed the decision and no one held him accountable, even though Al-Attal filed lawsuits and submitted notes to the Ministry of Youth, the Cabinet, and the Presidency. Mortada also repeated the same act with Amr Al-Shobaki, who received a final court ruling of his right to membership in the House of Representatives and nullification of membership of Ahmed Mortada Mansour.
Al-Ahly’s board of directors, Zamalek’s competitor, was also exposed to a flood of public insults from the President of Zamalek and accusations affecting their reputation. Al-Ahly made repeated appeals to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and all of the country’s leaders and officials. Demanding the urgent activation of the law before it is too late and lifting the immunity of the President of Zamalek. But all these appeals only found deaf ears, what observers considered to be a breach of the law, and a repetition of the policy of “centers of power” that the Nasserite era was famous for.
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