After news reports mentioned on Friday that Egypt’s Omar Soliman’s family flew to the United Arab Emirates to be by his side, Egyptian activists expressed worries that this is a masked political asylum for the much-hated former intelligence chief and Vice-President, whom many describe as a war criminal.
Soliman was the fearless head of the Egyptian intelligence from 1993 and until the Egyptian revolution brought an end to the corrupt regime he helped protect.
He was appointed as jailed dictator’s Hosni Mubarak’s deputy during the popular uprising that put an end to his 30-year iron rule.
Soliman is known to have orchestrated the rendition program with the United States, in which controversial methods and torture were used to extract confessions from departed Egyptian-Americans suspected of terrorism ties.
He is also accused of spearheading the controversial gas deal with Israel, which sells Egyptian gas to the country for a much lower price than the international market standards.
News reports said his two daughters, Dalia and Rania, were seen boarding a flight headed to Abu Dhabi, where Soliman himself had taken off to at the beginning of the month.
The fear is that the family is not returning in fear of a new trial by the new president, could be a likely reason for the timing of the abroad family meeting.
Meanwhile and in Abu Dhabi, Emarati citizens expressed outrage at the visit and the condemned their country for allowing the family into the country.
UAE online activists started a hashtag (Omar Soliman in our homeland) to express their refusal of the family’s visit.
“The Godfather of the Camp David treaty and the social coordinator with Israel over how to oppress the Palestinians and Arab nations, welcome,” wrote Ibrahim @ialyassi.
“We do not accept our homeland becoming a refuge to those who were kicked into the trash can of history,” wrote Asma @Q86.
“The agent of international torture and the engineer of the Gaza blockage,” wrote @ali_Boal7sn.
“The Sheikh who served our nation in under arrest and the traitor who sold Israel gas is a guest … how puzzling,” wrote Yousef Almulla, @YAlmulla.
The UAE is now facing internal and outer criticism over recent crackdowns on reformists, after 7 activits were stripped of their citizenship and arrested, including an influential reformist figure, Sultan Ben Kayed al-Qasimi, in an unprecedented force against calls for change inside the country.
Many UAE activists accused the the state of using Soliman’s “expertise” in oppressing opposition and cracking down on activism, much like the role he played in his home country.
Qasimy is the head of the Call to Reform group and was accused by the authorities of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. He is under house arrest in his cousin’s mansion, the ruler of Ra’s al-Khimah. This unprecedented move to punish or crackdown on a member of the royal family has made many believe that the campaign against change is only beginning in UAE.
