On Thursday, April 7, 2011, Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) Director, Aishah Schwartz, stood in solidarity with the Friends of Free Libya (FOFL), founded by a group of Egyptian intellectuals and activists, for a demonstration in front of the Libyan Embassy in Cairo.
CAIRO, EGYPT (Apr. 8, 2011) MWA-NET Egypt's Friends of Free Libya (FOLF) gathered in solidarity with Libyan nationals Thursday afternoon at the Embassy of Libya in Cairo to urge the Egyptian government to recognize the National Transitional Council in Benghazi as the sole legitimate government of Libya.
"In my ongoing support of both the Egyptain and Libyan revolutions, standing in solidarity with FOLF members, Egyptians and Libyan nationals concerned for their family members stranded and in danger as Ghadaffi continues his murderous rampage throughout the the nation, was the very least I could do; the very least any one of us could do in this time of crisis," stated Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) Director, Aishah Schwartz.
Among the various members of FOFL attending Thursday's event were Sarwat Nafi'a, an international cyber security and privacy expert, lecturer at York University and human rights advocate; Zahra' Langhi, FOFL treasurer, independent researcher in the field of Middle East Studies, and humanitarian activist with interests in human rights, social work, and the internet; Omar Haddad, member of the Libyan National Congress, and Nujoud Langhi, a member of the Libyan opposition and human rights activist.
In a media statement FOLF also included a request for Libyan and Egyptian NGOs to coordinate their efforts on behalf of the struggle of the Libyan people for freedom, in addition to announcing its support for coordination of efforts in Egypt to provide humanitarian relief (medical and food supplies) to the citizens of Libya.
News agencies reported Friday that a UN World Food Programme cargo ship carrying medical supplies, doctors and other aid was reported to have docked Thursday in Misurata, under siege for more than 40-days. The vessel delivered more than 500 metric tons of food - enough to feed more than 40,000 people for a month.
The FOLF agenda also called for Nilesat to carry the transmission of the satellite channels Libya Hurra and Libya Al-Ahrar, in light of the Gadaffi regime's interference with the Nilesat signal of the Arab satellite channels, forcing Hurra off Nilesat. A demand was also made for Nilesat to cease the transmission of Libyan state television.
Protesters at Thursday's demonstration also denounced the unprecedented oppression of peaceful demonstrations. A spokesman of the rebels' Interim Transitional National Council (ITNC) stated Friday that an estimated 10,000 people have been killed in Libya since the Revolution began on February 17.
Demonstrators also commemorated the memory of martyred Libyan Army Officer, Hamed Yusuf Al-Gandooz, 27, of Benghazi, who was killed on April 2, 1977 for his role in an attempted military coup organized to topple the Ghadaffi regime. The execution of Al-Gandoos took place at an army camp in Subrata City; to this day the family has never received his body.
Also denounced at the April 7 demonstration was the Gadaffi regime's detainment, torture and murder of journalists working in Libya.
FOFL called on all persons of conscience to continue aid efforts and to provide all necessary support to the civilians of Libya, and to stand in solidarity with the Libyan people to fulfill their revolution's goals against tyranny, oppression and the exit of Gadaffi and his regime.
Schwartz added, "As the poster of a young demonstrator stated, '
We Are All One'."
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