James Karl Buck typed one word into his phone - the word was arrested, and yes he spelled it correctly. THis message was tweeted to all his Twitter friends.
Meanwhile , MOhammed maree, his translator is still in jail, and according to his statement, being tortured. Now, James Karl Buck feels it’s his responsibility to try to free him.
“He’s only in prison … because he wanted to help me,” Buck said. “Now I’ve got to repay the favor.”
James Karl Buck was in Egypt working on his master’s thesis. Mohammed Maree, an Egyptian veterinary student, offered to help. James Karl Buck was arrested because he was photographing local anti-government protests over low wages and rising food prices. Things got crazy on April 7, when protesters demanding the government’s help began throwing Molotov cocktails and setting tires on fire.
Police arrested Buck and Maree and several other journalists who were fleeing the scene. American Buck however was released. Not Maree, the Egyptian.
James Karl Buck is now setting up a system via the Internet and technology geared to release Mohammed Maree. He used everything from Twitter, his blog, his Web site to an electronic petition signed by more than 900 people.
“You just don’t leave your men behind.”
Here is a great example of the slipperiness of press talk. Watch out for the literalness. When asked about Mohammed Maree, Attiya Shakran, press counsel for the Egyptian Consulate in San Francisco, California, said that Maree had been released April 13.
When later asked agian, he later said he was released - yes - but not for good. He was again detained. Now when asked he says he does not know. CNN could not get info either. on Mohammed maree’s whereabouts.
Lawyers though have visited him in jail. Maree has told them he has been beaten and electrically shocked.
His crime? “trying to change the regime.”
You could see why some might want to change it, since it doesn’t seem to be working.
Human rights groups are worried for his safety.
James Karl Buck is also working to make a network for journalists to be able to use Twitter for such purposes. He is discussing with the Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Watch. He didn’t used to be so hot on Twitter, or Myspace or other social networks like facebook. But his use of Twitter this time definitely saved him.
If Twitter could indeed be used this way, it would be less of a fritter.
“What this shows us is that we the people can harness an incredible power against oppressors by simply communicating with each other,” Buck said. “It shows the power in unity through technology.”
