News
8 FEBRUARY 2021
SOAS Alumnus and human rights advocate freed from detainment Lara Gibbs, BA Chinese (Modern & Classical)
On 18 November, Karim Ennarah was arrested in Dahab, South Sinai, and detained in Tora prison outside of Cairo. Two of his colleagues, Gasser Abdel-Razek and Mohammed Basheer, were also detained. Ennarah was held on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. After mounting international pressure, Ennarah, Abdel-Razek, and Basheer were freed on 3 December. A former SOAS Student, Ennarah was working for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), a human rights group in Egypt. Ennarah was working as EIPR’s head of criminal justice at the time. The EIPR pledge to defend the rights of all Egyptians. For the past 18 years, they claim to have defended the rights of Egyptians against inequality. They aim to document and research incidents of violence and human rights abuses in Egypt. Married in September, Ennarah’s wife Jess Kelly set about campaigning after hearing the news of his arrest. Kelly created a petition reaching over 100,000 signatures, calling on Egyptian authorities to free Ennarah and his colleagues. On 25 November, Jess published an op-ed in the New York Times. She expressed how ‘life rapidly fell apart’ on learning of her husband’s arrest. On 2 December, a group of SOAS alumni
published a letter to stand in solidarity with Karim and call for his immediate release. The letter was signed by 164 advocates and accused the Egyptian government of violating international human rights law.
Amnesty International has described Egypt’s system of detention as ‘corrosive.’ They express that Egyptian authorities can arrest anyone solely based on the suspicion that they are a threat to public security and order. Amnesty has called on the international community to speak out against Egypt’s action toward human rights organisations. Celebrities including actress Scarlett Johansson and Bill Nighy spoke out in solidarity against the arrests. In an EIPR YouTube video, Johansson said ‘I’m in awe of the bravery of these men who continue their work to defend people’s rights at such a great personal cost.’ Many critics have expressed concerns on the cost of human rights since Abdul Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2014. During his election campaign, President Sisi spoke of grand plans to improve the economy and increase employment rates. However, according to the BBC, the standard of living declined for many during his first term. It is estimated Egypt’s prisons hold 60,000 political prisoners. Reporters without Borders claimed that over 100 journalists have been arrested or imprisoned since January
Karim Ennarah at his SOAS graduation with wife, Jess Kelly. (Credit: Jess Kelly via the Evening Standard)
2014. Those who oppose President Sisi’s
regime run the risk of arrest.
The Robeson: SOAS’ first student-led magazine for PoC Louisa Johnson, MA Global Creative and Cultural Industries The first student magazine by and for people of colour has come to SOAS. The Robeson was originally founded by Hisham Pryce-Parchment and Apoorva Sriram in 2019, but will be officially relaunching this spring. Pryce-Parchment, final year World Philosophies student and two-year Antiracism Officer, explains his reasons for co-founding the magazine: ‘I wanted to focus on creative responses to tackling racism, both on campus and beyond.’ Ultimately, The Robeson acts as an ‘antiracism initiative’ — something Pryce-Parchment brainstormed during his first year as Antiracism Officer for the SOAS Students’ Union. He was inspired by the student magazines he saw at other
The Robeson magazine logo. (Credit: The Robeson)
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campuses, and wanted to replicate something similar for students of colour at SOAS. ‘There are many barriers to being published as a PoC in the industry,’ remarks Pryce-Parchment. Indeed, the 2016 City of London survey found that British journalism is 94% white and 55% male. Four years on, and the findings from Women in Journalism suggest little improvement. A oneweek evaluation of the prime-time news outlets in mid-July 2020 discovered that: ‘Not a single story by a Black reporter appeared on the front page of a UK newspaper,’ and ‘only six front page stories were written by BAME reporters.’ Pryce-Parchment hence recognises the importance of positive action schemes in media industries. ‘We have had a few emails asking why The Robeson is only for PoC,’ he explains, ‘The tone of almost all of these emails was one of entitlement. One such email went as far as to ask: "Is this not a reverse form of racism?”’ Despite objections, PryceParchment reinforces the magazine’s ‘For Us, By Us’ policy, declaring: ‘We are unapologetic in our vision, and about the space we want to hold.’ The Robeson magazine takes its name from Paul Robeson, the American artist, activist, and SOAS alumnus known for his antiracist and socialist beliefs. Pryce-Parchment explains: ‘The magazine is less about the achievements or stature of "Paul Robeson'' the man, and more about honouring a spiritual legacy and vision that found its roots in this institution
we all share.’ With the recent focus on mourning and grief for PoC this past year, Pryce-Parchment insists he wants The Robeson to be a ‘thing of joy.’ Rather than solely facilitating discussions about ‘suffering, pain, and death,’ he believes publishing joy is also an important part of the ‘healing and restorative practices in writing.’ Therefore, while The Robeson will publish serious essays and articles, it also welcomes creative submissions, such as poetry, fiction, memes, photography, illustrations, playlists, jokes, and more. This initiative builds on Pryce-Parchment’s earlier work. Last year, Pryce-Parchment told the Spirit he wanted to publish more BAME voices in the SOAS Undergraduate Research Journal. However, content for this publication is restricted to academic essays. One year later, Pryce-Parchment now says that The Robeson will ensure PoC at SOAS also have a platform which allows for more variety in form; ‘It’s so important for us as students of colour to just publish — even if it’s just a dump. Whatever you want to share with the community!’ When asked about his aims for The Robeson, PryceParchment stated that he hopes it brings any prospecting contributor ‘a sense of pride — in being a person of colour, in being a student at SOAS, and in their own talent.’ You can keep up to date with The Robeson launch this term by following their Instagram account, @therobesonmag.
WWW.SOASSPIRIT.CO.UK
