Two days ago Kuwaiti authorities arrested three Egyptian members of the campaign to support ElBaradei for the 2011 presidential election, said Hamdi Qandil, spokesperson for the National Association for Change. The three members are Tareq Tharwat, campaign coordinator, Farrag Nasr and Walid Nasr.
Qandil rejected the idea of contacting the Egyptian Foreign Ministry to find out why the three men were arrested and to push for their release. "I can’t rule out the possibility that the ministry played a role in their arrest," he said, "especially after 500 Egyptians who work there [Kuwait] announced they are joining the campaign and the association."
Leaders from the National Association for Change are contacting officials in Kuwait to find out the reasons behind the arrests, and are calling for their release, said Qandil. Their arrests came only a few hours after the group announced the inauguration of a new headquarters for the association in Kuwait.
In related news, Qandil said the association’s branch in Great Britain currently has approximately 300 Egyptian members, and is led by Salah Abul Fadl. The branch’s first meeting was held two days ago, and they issued a statement condemning the clashes that took place on 6 April in Egypt. "The security forces’ excessive use of force against protesters is proof that the collapsing Egyptian regime is in panic," the statement said. The statement also held the regime responsible for what it described as grave violations of human rights by the police.
ElBaradei intends to issue a document answering all the questions in the minds of Egyptians who are aspiring for change and those who would like to understand ElBaradei’s ideas, said Mohamed Hashem, manager of a publishing house. The document, he said, is not an election platform, but rather represents ElBaradei’s vision for change.
A group of intellectuals will start preparing this document today, he said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
