On Friday evening July 22, 2011, a Danish friend called me to check if I was ok after she heard the twin terror attacks in Oslo. I was at a hotel in Suez, Egypt and left to find an internet cafe to learn more. The first cafe was full, and in the street I asked two soldiers if they knew about another. They led me to their captain and another officer in a nearby office. The captain was not sharing Internet information but wanted to see my passport and pocket digital camera, and I handed it to him. He did not like me having taken photos of the Tahrir square, the Suez canal, burned out buildings in Cairo and other public buildings that I shot by chance from bus or Taxi trips. So he wanted my wallet, and when he found my Israeli shekel he got more suspicious. I explained I had it because I tried to enter Gaza, where Israeli currency is the currency used. Now they went through everything I was wearing. . An other European couple was brought in and got the same questions. They did not bring their passports, having a flat there and visited several times they never did before.
They called a superior officer and he brought me under guard to a military base. After waiting I was questioned again and then taken to my hotel for the luggage. I had a folder there with printouts from Al Jazeera and Stratfor (a US strategic analysis service). Now it got serious, and the officer who had done UN service in Congo and treated me well said he would take me to Cairo with his driver.
In Cairo they drove me to a military base and two military in plainclothes started questioning me. Two'thre young military in plain clothes was guarding. They wanted to know what I was doing in Egypt, and said the photos of the Suez canal and public buildings were illegal. I explained my purpose of coming to learn about the January 25 revolution, my participation at an Internet course about the "Arab spring" at Transcend Peace University and membership in the Norwegian Peace association and the Norwegian Circle for Nonviolent Communication with references to websites with my name. I told them I did not know and photos of much better quality were available on Internet. My photos were to show back home and put in archive for making articles about Egypt. It did not seem to convince them at all, they seemed to think I was a spy and wanted more information about my trips to Israel and Palestine. I explained I went there in 2008 and 2010 on organized studytrips with Nongovernmental Organizations, the German Forum fur Ziviler Friedensdienst and Norwegian Peace Association. Questioned all night and into the next day I got some water, biscuits and naps in a wooden chair when they left the room. I was gradually loosing energy and sense of time in the Cairo heat. I asked to call family in Norway and the Norwegian embassy, and they said yes several times, but kept me incommunicado. I was very calm all the time as I was connected and safe inside of me. I also trusted my own intentions by being in Egypt and transmitted this to them.
Saturday afternoon I laid down to sleep on the floor, and was soon awakened by a new man who handcuffed and blindfolded me and brought me by car to another military base. He was treating me with respect and got me some food and a soft drink. Then came a formal questioning by two senior military officers in full uniform. A secretary put my explanation down in Arabic, but I refused to sign it as my Arabic knowledge was not good enough to understand this. They respected this and said they would transmit it to the Norwegian embassy. I asked for food, a shower and a bed with all my Nonviolent communcation skills, and I got a positive reply. So back in the other base I showered and got a bed in a warm cell with full lights on and video surveillance. They always knocked on the door before entering and treated me with respect. Sunday afternoon another military in plain clothes handed me a phone and told me to call the Norwegian Consulate. I did and got immediate contact with a female staff there who knew about my situation. She explained the military wanted me quickly out of the country, and I asked to go to Amman where I was going anyway. The embassy were about to have a staff meeting about the attacks in Oslo, and she would get me afterwards. Later, I dont know how long as I had no watch, I was blindfolded and taken out of the cell. They handed me my belongings and asked me to check them. The folder with all printouts was missing and they responded "finished". All photos were deleted from the camera. I was impatient to get out quickly, so I signed a paper for the luggage. (Later in Amman I discovered some money and paintings were missing). Blindfolded they drove me to a third Army location where Norwegian Embassy staff met me and took me to that the airport. I had registered my stay with the Embassy. But they said the Army was annoyed as I did not register as researcher or peace activist. Tired but relieved I got in contact with a friend in Amman and got there in the night.
So what do I learn from this:
1. In a tense situation as Egypt is in now, trust and safety is very low, and many acts which otherwise would be considered acceptable are perceived as suspicious. So to do peace activities it may be best to do them fully open and or fully by the rules (which need to be learned).
2. Make better preparations for travelling and have local networks and contacts who can help.
3. Learn more Arabic, most people don not understand enough English for a meaningful conversation.
4. The Egyptian Army is in pretty much full control of the public space, they have resources, are well organized, suspicious and show respect for Norwegians.
5. It is helpful to have a staff at your Embassy that cares for their citizens and are quick to act when there is need for help, thanks to them :-)
