As I write this, I am fighting back tears as it’s been exactly one month since Usamah Mohamed Ali’s arrest. Usamah, or @simsimt on Twitter is a friend of mine. The last time I saw him, he was featured in a video comment which he recorded for AJStream stating why he plans to take part in the June 30th protests. The last person to see him was his brother, who watched as NISS took him away on June 22, 2012 from the scene of a protest in Burri, Khartoum.
The last time I spoke to him was on June 21, 2012. It was the same day of my first detention. He called to check up on me. I answered his call even though I was driving back home from the NISS building where I was held for interrogation for five hours. He was so relieved that I’d been released. “I was so worried about you,” he said to me. “I’m glad you’re safe. I’ll let you go now, your family must be really eager to see you.” Before I hung up, I promised to call him later. I never did; I got caught up with endless family matters. We had plans to meet the following day. We never did; he was kidnapped.
Usamah and I met at a tweet-up exactly one year ago. I was very intrigued by the Twitter personality and was anxious to meet Usamah in real life. When I finally met him in the flesh, I was even more intrigued. He is one of the most intellectual people I know. He is soft spoken, kind hearted, generous, charming and always at the heart of the conversation.
On the day of his arrest, he was live tweeting from a protest in Burri. I keep going back to his Twitter timeline; the last words he tweeted were: “You can use my tweets without even mentioning me. Free content advocate here!” His last tweet reflects just the kind of person he is.
This was at 5.30 PM. When he stopped tweeting, we all started to panic. His phone was on until later that night, but he never answered my calls or messages. His arrest was confirmed by his brother, who was also arrested but released seven hours later.
I couldn’t believe the news of Usamah’s arrest. When it finally sunk in, I was certain he was going to be released in a matter of hours. But hours became days, days became weeks and now the weeks have turned into a month and he is still detained.
Usamah is spending his Ramadan days in Kober, a maximum security political prison in Khartoum. His family has yet to see him, though they have requested visitation and are waiting for it to be accepted.
Why is Usamah still detained? I just want for him to be released. One month in prison is barely a justified punishment for attending a peaceful protest that didn’t even last an hour.
I am sick to my stomach. I want my friend back. I am disgusted with AJStream. The most they have done was issue a statement about his arrest long after I dedicated numerous tweets to harass them about Usamah’s case. I, along with many others, am holding AJStream accountable for the extension of Usamah’s imprisonment. We have since boycotted AJStream. As an activist, I have urged my fellow Sudanese not to risk their safety for the sake of a network that will stand idly by after contributing to their arrest. I will never forget how they referred to Usamah’s kidnapping as “alleged, pending confirmation from the Sudanese government”; despite his brother’s testimony.
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| Sudanese. Loves Sudan and living it. Interested in its politics and history. The rest is icing on the cake. |
Usamah risked his own safety and went looking for me in al-Gama’a Street shortly after my disappearance and subsequent arrest on June 21, 2012. He is a hero. I dedicated a post on Global Voices for him and another one is currently in the works. I will stop at nothing and will continue to make noise to highlight his unjust arrest. #FreeUsamah
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