Women without Borders/SAVE: Mona Eltahawy Arrested in Tahrir Square

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Mona Eltahawy Arrested in Tahrir Square

Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy was arrested in Tahrir Square yesterday night, shortly after her interview with the BBC in which she boldly stated: “People are determined to get their defiance across to the Supreme Military Council, and tell them we want nothing short of a civilian leadership for Egypt”. (Scroll down for link to interview)

Mona Eltahawy

Soon after news of Eltahawy’s arrest came out, her Twitter account sent a tweet that said “Beaten arrested in Interior Ministry”. The tweet was reportedly sent from the journalist’s blackberry device while in prison.

Activists and supporters of Eltahawy have started an online campaign on Twitter entitled #FreeMona. According to the New York Times, the US Department of State was informed of the journalist’s arrest.

Eltahawy was released this afternoon following 12 long hours in detention. Soon after her release, she tweeted "I AM FREE" and "12 hours with Interior Ministry security forces and military intelligence combined. Can barely type - must go xray arms after CSF beat me." The journalist also claimed that she was sexually harassed while in prison.

Eltahawy is an award-winning journalist and public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues based in New York. She is a columnist for Canada's Toronto Star, Israel's Jerusalem Report and Denmark's Politiken. Her opinion pieces have also been published in The Washington Post and the International Herald Tribune.

Over the years she has tackled critical issues such as media censorship and women’s rights in Egypt and the Middle East.

Recent developments in Cairo strongly demonstrate the Egyptian people's determination to continue protesting until they receive the civilian leadership they have been demanding for the past 8 months.