Egypt: Trade union sentenced to 6 months for “insulting” Mubarak-era hack

by Eric Lee

Kamal Abbas

Kamal Abbas, a leading figure in the fight to create independent democratic trade unions in Egypt, has been sentenced to six months in prison for the “crime” of insulting a Mubarak-era hack at an International Labor Organization conference.

Abbas is used to such treatment at the hands of the Mubarak regime, which jailed him and tried to crush the Center for Trade Union and Worker Services (CTUWS) which he headed.

But the Mubarak era is supposed to be behind us. After all, we are now one year into the Arab Spring.

The world’s trade unions are calling for a massive online mobilization to demand that the charges be dropped.

Please take a moment to click here and then spread the word.

Eric Lee is the founder and editor of LabourStart, the international labor news and campaigning site.