Hossam el-Hamalawy
Encyclopedia
Hossam el-Hamalawy is an Egyptian
journalist
, blogger
, photographer and socialist activist. He is a member of the Revolutionary Socialists
, the Center for Socialist Studies
and the Workers Democratic Party
.
where he was detained and torture
d by Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak
's State Security Investigations Service
(SSI) in 2000, allegedly with the institution's complicity. He is regarded as "influential" according to a 2007 US intelligence report obtained by Wikileaks
.
Hossam and television host Reem Maged were given a summons on Monday the 30th of May, 2011 to appear before military prosecution after Maged brought Hamalawy on her show where he criticized the role of military police, holding the head of the military police responsible for torturing activists.
of 2011, el-Hamalawy was among many protesters who stormed and seized offices of the SSI in Nasr City
and was able to visit the cell where he had been imprisoned, later writing on his Twitter
feed that he could not stop crying. "Entered the small compound where I was locked. Man, I can't believe it still... Many are literally crying. We can't find the interrogation rooms. This is a citadel."
Since storming the SSI offices, el-Hamalawy has become the main force behind a "naming and shaming" website "(Piggipedia)" targeting former SSI personnel who were involved in the alleged torture of dissidents. Their names are linked to allegations and photos.
Mohamed Abdel Aziz el-Gendy, for his ties to the former President
Hosni Mubarak
, in relation to the freezing of assets of the ousted dictator. El-Hamalawy claims that the overthrow of Mubarak had been stirring as early as 2002, when pro-Palestinian
riots around Cairo University
fought Central Security Forces
chanting: "Hosni Mubarak is just like Sharon
."
El-Hamalawy holds the view that Egyptian communism
is trapped in a "Stalinist
" legacy, an inverse of Trotsky
's theory of permanent revolution
.
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, blogger
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, photographer and socialist activist. He is a member of the Revolutionary Socialists
Revolutionary Socialists (Egypt)
The Revolutionary Socialists are a Trotskyist organisation in Egypt aligned with the International Socialist Tendency. According to Mark LeVine, a professor of history at the University of California, the RS "played a crucial role organising Tahrir and now in the workers movement" post-President...
, the Center for Socialist Studies
Center for Socialist Studies
The Center for Socialist Studies is an organizational center for the dissemination of socialist ideas and politics located in Giza, Egypt. It produces and sells left-wing theoretical books, magazines and newsletters as well as hosting public events and lectures on political issues...
and the Workers Democratic Party
Workers Democratic Party
The Workers National Democratic Party also is a workers' political party in Egypt formed shortly after the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. It is backed by the Federation of Egyptian Trade Unions and forms part of the Coalition of Socialist Forces...
.
Early life and career
He is a graduate of the American University in CairoAmerican University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
where he was detained and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d by Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
's State Security Investigations Service
State Security Investigations Service
The Egyptian State Security Investigations Service was the highest national investigating authority in Egypt. Estimated to employ 100,000 people, the SSI was the main security apparatus of Egypt's Ministry of Interior and had the role of controlling opposition groups, both armed groups and those...
(SSI) in 2000, allegedly with the institution's complicity. He is regarded as "influential" according to a 2007 US intelligence report obtained by Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
.
Hossam and television host Reem Maged were given a summons on Monday the 30th of May, 2011 to appear before military prosecution after Maged brought Hamalawy on her show where he criticized the role of military police, holding the head of the military police responsible for torturing activists.
Activism
After the Egyptian revolution2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...
of 2011, el-Hamalawy was among many protesters who stormed and seized offices of the SSI in Nasr City
Nasr City
Nasr City is a district of Cairo, Egypt. It is located to the east of the Cairo Governorate and consists mostly of condominiums. It was established in the 1960s as an extension to neighboring suburb of Heliopolis. The establishment of the district was part of the Egyptian Government's plan to...
and was able to visit the cell where he had been imprisoned, later writing on his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
feed that he could not stop crying. "Entered the small compound where I was locked. Man, I can't believe it still... Many are literally crying. We can't find the interrogation rooms. This is a citadel."
Since storming the SSI offices, el-Hamalawy has become the main force behind a "naming and shaming" website "(Piggipedia)" targeting former SSI personnel who were involved in the alleged torture of dissidents. Their names are linked to allegations and photos.
Policies and views
El-Hamalawy has criticized the newly appointed Justice MinisterMinistry of Justice (Egypt)
The Ministry of Justice is the ministry in charge of justice in Egypt. Its headquarters are in Cairo. Mohamed Abdel Aziz Ibrahim El-Gendy is the current minister, serving since 2011.-External links:* official website...
Mohamed Abdel Aziz el-Gendy, for his ties to the former President
President of Egypt
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the head of state of Egypt.Under the Constitution of Egypt, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive branch of the Egyptian government....
Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
, in relation to the freezing of assets of the ousted dictator. El-Hamalawy claims that the overthrow of Mubarak had been stirring as early as 2002, when pro-Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
riots around Cairo University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
fought Central Security Forces
Central Security Forces
The 350,000 strong Central Security Forces CSF organization is an Egyptian Paramilitary force which is responsible for assisting the Egyptian National Police for the security of governmental fixed sites, foreign embassies & missions, riots & crowds control, publicly crowded events, high risk...
chanting: "Hosni Mubarak is just like Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
."
El-Hamalawy holds the view that Egyptian communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
is trapped in a "Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
" legacy, an inverse of Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
's theory of permanent revolution
Permanent Revolution
Permanent revolution is a term within Marxist theory, established in usage by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels by at least 1850 but which has since become most closely associated with Leon Trotsky. The use of the term by different theorists is not identical...
.
External links
- 3arabawy Hossam el-Hamalawy's blog (Arabic)
- Piggipedia Hossam el-Hamalawy's "naming and shaming" project
- Hossam el-Hamalawy's flickr account
- Hossam el-Hamalawy Hossam el-Hamalawy on the Guardian