international labor and human rights groups came out in support of abbas and condemned the court decision. the international confederation of trade unions (ituc), accused the mubarak regime of going after opposition groups and media. "we are very concerned about this latest attack on the ctuws. we are particularly concerned that these prison sentences follow a long tradition of repression of the ctuws, an independent civil society organization committed to defending trade union and workers rights in egypt," said guy ryder, ituc general secretary. a coalition of the italian trade unions sent a letter to mubarak asking him to "ensure that ctuws is not persecuted and demanding that "this particular case could be reviewed. the euro-mediterranean human rights network also issued a statement "expressing its deep concern over the case.