Code Pink – 2014-03-09 01:19:30
http://codepink.salsalabs.com/o/424/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=7197
‘I Was Brutally Attacked’
Medea Benjamin
Just the other day I hopped on a plane to Egypt, eager to join the international delegation of 100 women headed to Gaza for International Women’s Day. Little did I know I would be stopped at the Cairo airport, detained, held overnight in a cell, then in the morning brutally assaulted by Egyptian authorities. They threw me to the ground, stomped on my back, handcuffed me so tightly they dislocated my shoulder, and then deported me to Turkey.
Now the Egyptian authorities are blocking most of the remaining delegates from entering Egypt and traveling to Gaza. It has been frustrating and disappointing for us, but we cannot forget that almost two million Palestinians remained trapped in Gaza while the Egyptian Rafah border remains closed or tightly controlled.
What happened to me was traumatizing, but is minor compared to what Egyptian activists are going through, including women. Thousands of peaceful Egyptian demonstrators have been killed or jailed by the Military Junta since the July 2013 military coup.
Here’s how you can take action:
Call the Egyptian Embassy now (202-895-5400), demand an apology, ask them to allow the remaining delegates to go to Gaza, open of the Rafah border, and end the brutal crackdown on journalists and Egyptian activists.
Send this letter to the Egyptian government with our demands.
Despite frantic calls to the US Embassy during my 17-hour ordeal, they NEVER even got in touch with me. It is appalling that not only did the US government fail to intervene when an American citizen was being beaten, but that our government continues to send billions of US taxpayer dollars in military aid to the illegitimate and abusive Egyptian government.
Sign this petition to Egypt Desk at the State Department, then call them (202-647-4680). Demand to know why they did not assist a peaceful US citizen who was being abused by the Egyptian authorities, and let them know you want an immediate end to US military aid to Egypt.
Thanks for all you do for peace and justice,
Medea Benjamin is Co-founder of CODEPINK
Egypt: Open the Rafah Border to Gaza
And Stop Attacking Peaceful Protesters!
ACTION: Send a message to the Egyptian Ambassador to the US demanding the peace delegation be allowed to cross into Gaza, that the Rafah border be opened. Demand justice for detained and abused peaceful protesters in Egypt, and an apology issued to Medea Benjamin!
His Excellency Ambassador M.M. Tawfik
Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the United States of America
Email:pressoffice@egyptembassy.net
Open the Rafah Border to Gaza and Stop Attacking Peaceful Protesters!
Dear Ambassador Tawfik
When peace activist Medea Benjamin landed at the Cairo airport in Egypt on her way to join an international delegation of women going to Gaza, authorities from your government detained her for hours, handcuffed her, dislocated her shoulder, then violently deported her to Turkey. A few hours later, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead MaGuire was also deported from the Cairo airport with no explanation.
Now your colleagues are blocking most of the remaining delegates from entering Egypt and traveling to Gaza.
The peace delegation planned to converge in Egypt after your government suggested to organizers that they would be able to cross the border into Gaza, where almost 2 million people are suffering in the world’s largest open-air prison. It is appalling that not only is there a brutal Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip, but an Egyptian one as well. The people of Gaza need to be able to travel through the Rafah border.
We call on you to end your government’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters and journalists, which violate their human rights and exposes the brutal dictatorship of Egypt.
US State Department:
Protect US Citizens and End US Aid to Egypt!
Sign this petition to the State Department. Demand to know why they did not assist a peaceful US citizen who was being abused by the Egyptian authorities, and let them know you want an immediate end to US aid to Egypt!
Dear US State Department,
When American peace activist Medea Benjamin landed at the Cairo airport in Egypt on her way to join an international delegation of women going to Gaza, Egyptian authorities detained her for hours, put her in a cell overnight, and in the morning handcuffed her, dislocated her shoulder, then violently deported her to Turkey.
Throughout the 17-hour ordeal she didn’t hear from the US Embassy once, yet the Embassy claims it “provided appropriate consular services” — which is not true. We, the undersigned, demand an explanation as to why the State Department did not help a peaceful US citizen who was being physically abused by the Egyptian authorities. What steps are being taken to ensure that this doesn’t happen to another US citizen?
As Americans, we are deeply concerned about the billions of US taxpayer dollars toward aid for Egypt. Thousands of peaceful Egyptian demonstrators have been killed and jailed by the Military Junta since the July 2013 military coup. With our tax dollars, we are now propping up both the Israeli and Egyptian blockades of Gaza, where almost 2 million people are trapped and suffering from an extreme lack of basic necessities. Our taxpayer dollars could be much better spent at home in the US, instead of funding violent military regimes abroad.
Medea Benjamin, US Activist, Live-Tweets Night Detained In Cairo Airport
Huffington Post
Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of anti-war group Code Pink, flew to the Egyptian capital en route to the Gaza Strip to take part in an international women’s delegation, according to a statement by the group. When Benjamin was denied entry to Egypt by …
US Activist Detained at Cairo Airport
New York Times
CAIRO — Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of the American protest group Code Pink, which opposes United States military actions, said Tuesday that she had been detained in the Cairo airport and assaulted by the Egyptian police while trying to travel to Gaza …
“Help. They Broke My Arm. Egypt Police”: Peace Activist Medea Benjamin
Iranian
MEDEA BENJAMIN: Well, I’m in a lot of pain. I’ve gotten two shots of painkiller, but it’s not enough. They fractured my arm, dislocated my shoulder, tore the ligaments. They jumped on top of me. And this was all never telling me what was the problem. And so, it …
US activist, CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin held overnight in Egypt jail
CBS News
LONDON — American rights and peace activist Medea Benjamin said Tuesday that Egyptian police held her at an airport jail without explanation and that they had broken her arm. “Help. They broke my arm. Egypt police,” Benjamin, who co-founded the …
US activist claims Egyptian security forces roughed her up
USA TODAY
Egyptian officials denied Medea Benjamin was assaulted, saying she had refused to leave despite being told that the border to Gaza is closed because of military operations in the area. However, other members of the same delegation of women activists …
CodePink activist Medea Benjamin jailed in Egypt, begs for US help
Washington Times
The co-founder of the peace activist group CodePink, Medea Benjamin, said Egyptian police have grabbed her and put her in jail, breaking her arm in the process. She’s appealed for the United States or for someone else to intervene and save her, CBS …
Egypt: American activist is detained in Cairo, says police injured her
Los Angeles Times
The activist, Medea Benjamin, boarded a return flight to Istanbul, where her organization said she planned to seek medical treatment for injuries suffered while in Egyptian custody. Benjamin is a co-founder of Code Pink, which describes itself as a grass-roots …
Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin Says that Egyptian Police Broke her Arm
The Wire
Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin was on her way to Gaza on Tuesday when she was detained in a Cairo airport. And according to the activist, she was injured before eventually being deported to Turkey. “Help. They broke my arm. Egypt police,” Benjamin …
Egypt deports US anti-war activist on way to Gaza
CNN
(CNN) — Egypt on Tuesday deported an American anti-war activist who was trying to travel to the Gaza Strip. Medea Benjamin, who co-founded the Code Pink anti-war group, said she was detained on arrival at Cairo airport Monday evening. She had planned …
US rights activist alleges Egypt police abuse
Reuters
Egypt police,” tweeted Medea Benjamin, founder of protest organization Code Pink, which rose to prominence for opposing the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. She said she was now in Turkey after being held in a poor conditions in a cell at Cairo airport.
US Code Pink Co-Founder Held at Egypt Airport Is Deported
Businessweek
A co-founder of the US peace group Code Pink, Medea Benjamin, who was detained at Cairo airport en route to the Gaza Strip, has been deported. Benjamin has been deported to Turkey, Code Pink said in a Twitter posting. The activist was on her way to …
US anti-war activist says Egyptian police ‘stomped on me’
NEWS.GNOM.ES
Anti-war activist Medea Benjamin charged Tuesday that she suffered a dislocated left arm and severe trauma after being detained on arrival in Egypt and then forced by security officials from a jail cell at the Cairo airport onto a Turkey-bound flight.
Why One Of The Most Famous Protesters In America Was Tweeting Last Night
Business Insider
On Tuesday night, Medea Benjamin, the co-founder of the activist grassroots group Code Pink, spent a harrowing night in an Egyptian jail cell. She live-tweeted her experience. It was a little after 8 p.m. on the United States’ East Coast when she first posted …
Egypt deports CodePink anti-war activist Medea Benjamin after police break her arm
Raw Story
Egypt on Tuesday deported an American anti-war activist who was trying to travel to the Gaza Strip, airport officials and the activist herself said. Medea Benjamin, who co-founded the CodePink anti-war group, was detained on arrival in Cairo airport on …
CODEPINK co-founder detained without explanation in Cairo
UPI.com
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the political activist group Code Pink, speaks out against President Barack Obama during his speech on counterterrorism at the National Defense University on May 23, 2013 at Ft. McNair in Washington, D.C. UPI/Kevin Dietsch.
US Gets Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin Released from Egyptian Jail
The Nation. (blog)
CODEPINK founder Medea Benjamin is surrounded by security as she shouts at President Barack Obama during his speech on national security, Thursday, May 23, 2013, at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn …
CodePink’s Medea Benjamin Released from Egyptian Jail After She Reports Abuse
The Nation. (blog)
Medea Benjamin. Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin is surrounded by security as she shouts at President Obama during his speech on national security, May 23, 2013. The Code Pink co-founder is apparently in Turkey today, …
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