Mohamed Hashem of Merit Publishing says government wants to prosecute him based on SCAF allegations he incited violence in Tahrir and plans, in turn, to sue the ruling military council for slander.
Mohamed Hashem, owner of the Dar Merit publishing house, told Ahram Online that his lawyers informed him that the prosecution has issued a warrant for his arrest for alleged involvement in the recent Tahrir violence.
“Anyone who wants to arrest me can go ahead and do it,” he told Ahram Online. “I believe there is a revolution and I am one of the people who started it – and [the revolution] won’t abandon me.”
He said he had asked Ahmed Seif, the renowned lawyer and activist, to file a law suit against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) for slander.
At a press conference on Monday, a member of SCAF showed a video of Hashem distributing helmets, and other safety equipment to protesters, which he claimed made the publisher guilty of indirect involvement in the violence.
Shortly afterwards, Hashem stated that he was honoured to provide protective equipment to the protesters in Tahrir, adding, “Do they want to kill and injure people while we stand by and do nothing?”
Hashem stressed he would continue to support the revolution, as he has since 25 January, whatever the risks.
In solidarity with Hashem, prominent figures in the Egyptian art scene released a statement expressing their “full appreciation of the role” he had played in the revolution.
The Egyptian Publishers Union has also expressed support for Hashem in a unanimously approved statement issued on Monday.
[Developed in partnership with Ahram Online.]