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2003
Remarks by Harriet Presser,
Distinguished University Professor,
Dept. of Sociology,
University of Maryland, College Park
Saturday, February 15, 2003
Denver, CO
AAAS - Human Rights Reception Honoring Saad E. Ibrahim
 On
behalf of the American Sociological Association, I want first to thank AAAS
for inviting me to speak here today. I also thank the ASA for asking me to represent
the association at this reception to honor Professor Saad Ibrahim. A few years
ago, I was fortunate to be on a research panel with Dr. Ibrahim's wife, Barbara
Ibrahim, so it is a special pleasure for me to meet their children and other
family members today, and be among scientist colleagues from around the world
who honor this family at this difficult time.
The American Sociological Association has a significant international constituency
among its 13,000 members. And ASA has long supported efforts to promote academic
freedom and to act as a voice for social science scholars facing human rights
violations. ASA executes this important self-imposed responsibility in part
by collaborating with AAAS, sharing information, and working with the staff
of the AAAS Human Rights Program.
Upon the news of Dr. Ibrahim's initial arrest on June 30, 2000, ASA prepared
a formal response to Egyptian officials and provided critical information to
ASA members about the case in order to allow them to take individual actions
to protest his imprisonment. Since then ASA has conducted press briefings and
ASA Council members have published op-ed pieces to increase the visibility of
his case among important audiences.
Dr. Ibrahim's recent history - in and out of courts and incarceration - has
been a tumultuous one at best. But with each new move or decision, ASA has written
letters to top Egyptian and American officials urging the reversal of the verdict
against Dr. Ibrahim and his associates. ASA distributed press releases to the
media and information to its members as further details emerged.
As stated by ASA Executive Officer Sally Hillsman, in an August 4th letter
of protest to Egyptian President Mubarak, "[ASA is] gravely concerned that
the latest verdict was issued as a result of Dr. Ibrahim's work as a scholar
and scientist. In the expression of his work, Dr. Ibrahim is entitled to the
protections guaranteed by the International Convention on Civil and Political
Rights to which Egypt is a signatory…. We are also profoundly dismayed
by the sentencing procedure and verdict, which delivered unwarranted punishment
to Dr. Ibrahim and his associates."
Upon Dr. Ibrahim's most recent re-sentencing this past summer-to seven years
in jail---ASA President Barbara Reskin, at the opening session of ASA's Annual
Meeting in Chicago, urged ASA members to take action to help protect the academic
and scientific freedom of colleagues in Egypt. Many ASA members responded to
this appeal and ASA received a formal, though not very reassuring reply from
the Egyptian ambassador. And as President Bush publicly chastised Egypt and
international political sentiments began to emerge in the press, ASA consulted
with a close family member as to the advisability of ASA taking further action
to increase the visibility of this issue here in the United States. In addition,
ASA received a request for advice from a liaison to a United Nations committee
as to further pressure that might be applied to the Egyptian government. ASA
is pleased to have been in the "thick of it all."
On February 4th, Dr. Ibrahim was tried for the third time, and the verdict
will be delivered on March 18th. There will be no further judicial appeal to
this final verdict. Let us hope for a favorable outcome.
Finally, I would like to draw attention to the fact that Dr. Ibrahim is presently
completing a very thoughtful article about his personal experiences with the
Egyptian criminal justice system, which will appear in the summer issue of our
sociology magazine, Contexts. There are key lessons in his essay for any scholar
who is doing politically sensitive research.
Thank you.
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