ON EGYPT

 A Petition for the Release of 3 Arresteed Egyptians

The Eygtian government, one of the key allies of the United States in the “war on terrorism”, has launched another attack on civil liberties. Three members of the Center for Socialist Studies in Egypt — Ibrahim Sahari, Marwa Faruq, Bahu Abdullah — were arrested during the Cairo International Book fair on 28 January allegedly for distributing material critical to the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak. The three are being held in custody for at least 15 days. Ibrahim and Marwa were arrested along with hundreds of other anti-war activists in 2003. Ibrahim told Amnesty International he was blindfolded and severely beaten during his last detention. We call on the Egyptian government to cease its attack on freedom of expression and immediately to release Ibrahim Sahari, Marwa Faruq, and Bahu Abdullah.

Note: The three detainees have been released soon after the Porto Alegre meeting.

 ON THE PHILIPPINES

 Second International Meeting of Radical Parties
Solidarity Declaration concerning the Philippines
Porto Alegre, 31^st of January 2005

Some 12 years back, the Communist Party of the Philippines began to condemn to death and assassinate member cadres of other progressive and revolutionary organizations. The situation continues to worsen today. All the Left movements find themselves threatened, except for those which the CPP itself is leading. It is especially the case with the different Filipino organizations that participate in our international Network of Radical Parties. Likewise, persons active in the anti-war movement and with whom we oppose capitalist globalization, like Walden Bello and Lidy Nacpil, have been named and denounced as « counter-revolutionaries ».

We cannot accept the use of violence, including armed violence, within the workers and people’s movements. We strongly affirm our full and deepest solidarity with the progressive and revolutionary organizations in the Philippines threatened by the CPP. We call for the broadest expression of this solidarity on the international level, for the Communist Party of the Philippines to put a final end to this policy of threats and assassinations.