Read the Union's statement voted at the UGM in solidarity with the Egyptian detainees on hunger strike
Statement of solidarity with the Egyptian political detainees
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At its Union General Meeting on 10 October 2014, the SOAS Students’ Union noted that:
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·        Egyptian and international human rights organizations (ranging from Human Rights Watch to Amnesty International) have highlighted the increase in arbitrary detentions, lengthy periods of pre-trial confinement and torture of prisoners since the military seizure of power in Egypt on 3 July 2013.
·        There are currently over 40,000 political detainees in Egypt.
·        143 detainees in Egyptian prisons and police stations have joined a protest hunger strike against their detention. As a consequence of the hunger strike, several detainees are currently suffering from deteriorating health conditions.
·        10 SOAS students have participated in a series of 24-hour hunger strikes as part of the solidarity campaign ‘1000 hours of hunger’
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Since the motion was passed over 30 activists have been sentenced to 3-5 years in prison following unfair trials. In parallel, new security measures and a ban on all political activity on Egyptian campuses have sparked demonstrations, leading to the arrest of at least 230 students. Since the beginning of the academic year, students have been subject to pre-emptive arrests and the harsh treatment of a private security firm hired by the Ministry of Higher Education to monitor activity and regulate access on 15 campuses.
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As a representative body of SOAS students, we are particularly concerned about the fate of students among those detained. The Union further wishes to highlight the situation of hunger strikers whose health conditions are particularly grave and necessitate urgent intervention.
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We condemn the arbitrary and political detentions in Egypt and demands that all detainees are granted a fair trial according to international norms and standards or that they are released without delay.
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Members of the SOAS community can show their support by joining the Protest rally to make a stand against repression in Egypt on 22nd of November at 2 PM, taking place at Cleopatra’s Needle (Victoria Embankment):
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https://www.facebook.com/events/755952131147508/?ref=2&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
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As well as join the ‘1000 hours of hunger’ campaign: http://egyptsolidarityinitiative.org/1000hours/
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