The family of our Ismail Marzouk went yesterday to the Public Prosecutor’s office, filing a report against the British company, Blue O Two, accusing the latter of negligence and absence of industrial safety standards that led to their son’s death.
On 9 September, Ismail’s family will join a protest in Hurghada planned by the divers to call for improving work conditions and enforcing safety measures on the tourism/diving companies. Rest in peace Ismail…
Ismail Marzouk, one of Egypt’s leading technical diving instructors, has died today in Daedalus, during a wreck dive. He was 33. His body was never recovered.
As a young Cairo law student, Ismail was active with the socialist movement, before moving to the Red Sea where he worked in eco-tourism, learned diving and quickly became one of the most prominent IANTD instructors in the Red Sea. I spent weeks with Ismail last winter in Hurghada, where he introduced me to technical diving. His hospitality, sense of humor were unmatched. His home in Hurghada, I felt, was mine too thanks to his warm fraternal personality. Ismail, who passionately supported the revolution, has also been active in the ongoing efforts to unionize Egypt’s divers.
He is survived by his wife, Jude, and baby daughter, Aisha. He will be terribly missed by his family and friends. Rest in peace, Ismail.
Graffiti movement in Egypt is growing, and I’m very very happy to see this. I hope fellow activists would share the PDF files of those stencils online, so as to make it easier for circulation and print by other activists around the country.
One of the bravest, most sincere young left wing activists I’ve ever met, our Salma Said, carrying a banner: “I’m a thug, come and arrest me”
Thousands demonstrated on Friday in Tahrir Square, demanding public trial of Mubarak, his interior ministry Habib el-Adly, and other regime figures.
The square and the surrounding streets since early morning have been emptied from all police and military presence. Most of the established political forces, most notably the Muslim Brothers, did not take part in the demonstrations.
The families of the martyrs were present, and demanded speedy trials of the police murderers, as it’s becoming clear day by day that they will get away with what they did. More shockingly, most police officers who are currently undergoing trial still hold their positions (or have been promoted)! Demonstrators also denounced the brutal police crackdown on the protests in the square on Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Protesters marched, in solidarity with the detainees, by 4pm on the ministerial cabinet headquarters and the interior ministry. Policemen from inside the interior ministry’s compound threw rocks and were making provocative gestures with their hands. Protesters responded by rocks and a shower of insults and chants against both the military and the police.
I’ve heard today very strong chants, demanding the execution of Mubarak, Adly and Field Marshal Tantawi. While some are staging a sit in at the moment, others will resume protesting tomorrow, in the run up to the mass protests planned next Friday 8 July.
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