Canterbury father's fears after son jailed in Egypt
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Alisdare Hickson in
Cairo's Tahrir Square after the fall of President Mubarak
by Adam Williams
A Kent man has been arrested in Egypt after getting caught
up in unrest in the country.
Alisdare Hickson, 48, spent eight days behind bars after
being held by authorities in Cairo when he was mistaken for a
stone-throwing protester.
His father Tony, of New Dover Road, Canterbury, has had to
rely on limited information coming back from the north African
state since Alisdare’s arrest.
He said: “It’s all been rather difficult to understand. I’ve
only found out information through my daughter Suzette, who is
currently in Bangladesh or from my grandson Adam, who is out Egypt,
but not in Cairo.
“A friend of his from Canterbury has been talking to the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office on his behalf and emailed me on Monday to
say he’d been released on bail, but has another hearing to attend
next Monday.”
Political unrest in Egypt
captured by Alisdare Hickson
Alisdare has been living in Egypt with his partner
Seifein since October 2007, working as a sales manager in a
hotel health club on the Red Sea coast.
During the revolution last year, which saw the fall of president
Hosni Mubarak, he photographed the celebrations in Tahrir
Square.
Tony (pictured left) believes Alisdare’s
curiosity about the country's unrest is what led to his
arrest.
He added: “The reports I’m getting is he was photographing
protesters who were throwing stones at authorities when a group of
them were chased through the streets. Police eventually caught up
with him and arrested him thinking he was also throwing stones.
“Alisdare’s always been one for wanting to put the world to
rights and no doubt he went off to take pictures as part of that
desire.”
Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman Michael Bownas
confirmed they were made aware of Alisdare’s arrest
immediately.
He said: “Since then, we have been offering consular advice to
him and his family.”
See more of Alisdare's pictures of the unrest in Egypt
in this week's Kentish Gazette.
Thursday, February 16 2012
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