Editorial

Apologies for the delay of this issue of CO-Update. It was planned for early April, but then Egyptian conscientious objector and blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad got arrested, and so I decided to travel to Cairo to try to put more pressure on the Egyptian authorities, and to meet with his friends, supporters, and family (see main story).

War Resisters' International is launching a campaign "Freedom for Maikel Nabil Sanad", and calls on the Egyptian authorities to not confirm the sentence, and to immediately release Maikel.

The case of Maikel Nabil Sanad shows the importance of networks such as War Resisters' International. WRI was one of the first organisations to react to his arrest, within hours of being informed, and it was not only quick to issue an alert, but also quick to send an observer.
Although this did not prevent the sentence, it helped to trigger a wave of public support.