Situation of Human Rights defenders and activists in Egypt

The crackdown of the Egyptian authorities on civil society organisations, journalists, and political dissidents has dramatically worsened since the military seized power in July 2013.

EuroMed Rights, in partnership with ANHRI, aims to inform an interested audience at the EU level and in European/international media about the specific targeting of human rights defenders and activists in the country, as well as prisoners of conscience and defenders of freedom of expression.

If you wish to obtain more information on individual cases, you can send an e-mail to:
egypt@euromedrights.net

Al Nadeem Center Ordered to Cease its Activities

On Thursday 18 February, a number of security personnel, accompanied by an employee from Azbakia neighborhood, headed to the headquarters of Al Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture in Ramsees Street, upon an order from the Director of the Ministry of Health's Free Treatment Directorate to close the center, which operates a clinic.

Al-Nadeem's lawyer demanded that the decision be postponed until Monday 22 February, in order to get clarifications on the reasons behind that order. The security force commissioned to close the center acceded to the lawyer's request. So far, the resolution has not been carried out, nor has its fate has been identified. As a result, Al-Nadeem Center has organized a press conference to alert the public opinion on those events.

For more information on the Al Nadeem case:

Unknow Whereabouts of a Journalist

On February 21st security forces from Demietta, consisting of two masked men and two officers, raided the house of Sabry Anwar, a reporter at ElBadil newspaper in Demietta, and searched it without allowing him or his family to check the prosecution warrant. They also seized the journalist's laptop and took him to unknown place. Despite several attempts by his lawyers to contact him, Demietta Security Directorate’s officials refused to declare Anwar's place of detention and denied his presence there.

It is noteworthy that all the journalist’s relatives have asserted in press statements that he does not belong to any party or a group. Anwar's forced disappearance comes after he had published press reports about the challenging economic conditions that Demietta Governorate is suffering, especially in the field of furniture industry. The journalist also conducted several reports and interviews on the conditions of hospitals and health services in Demietta.

For further details, read this statement by ANHRI

April 6 Movement’s Leader Sentenced to 3 Years

On February 29th, Al-Marg Misdemeanor Court, convened at New Cairo Court in the Fifth Settlement, sentenced the activist Amr Ali April 6 Movement’s coordinator to three years of jail, over the case No. 3173 of 2015 (Al-Marg, misdemeanor).

The Public Prosecution charged Ali with joining an outlawed group, inciting to protest, and possessing publications that aim to overthrow the regime

For further details, read this statement by ANHRI

Prison Sentence for Journalist and Writer Ahmed Nagi

On the 20^th of February, the Misdemeanor Court of Bulaq Abul-Ela sentenced Ahmed Nagi, the young journalist and writer, to two years in prison, and ordered Akhbar Al-Adb's editor-in-chief “Tarek Al-Taher” to pay 10,000 EGP as a fine over the case No. 9292/ 2015. Nagi and his chief editor were imprisoned over the incident of publishing a chapter of Nagi's novel “Using Life” in Akhbar Al-Adab magazine.

It should be noted that the Court of First Instance had previously acquitted the two journalists over the same case. However, an appeal was filed by the Prosecution, resulting in the prison ruling issued against Nagi, who was already held in Tora Prison.

For further information, read this statement by ANHR

Workers Imprisoned for Protesting Against Low Wages

On the 23rd of February, El Attareen Misdemeanor Court delivered a five-year in prison sentence in addition to a fine of EGP100 thousands, and a decision of dismissal against each of: Magdy Al-Badri, head of Union of Workers at Alexandria University Hospitals, Mohamed Naguib, clerk at the financial and administrative inspection department, Mohamed Anwar, elevator technician, Essam Ali, cleaner, and Amr Al-Sayyed, part-time worker at the pharmacies.

The five workers were charged by the court with organising a protest march in November 2014 to denounce the low wages and the administration's failure to disburse a previous 3-month incentives, because they staged a sit-in after connecting the incentives with the minimum and maximum wage limit.

Read this statement by ANHRI for more information

"Belady Case" Trial Adjourned

On Wednesday 17 February, the Abdeen Criminal Court postponed for the fifth time the trial of children rights defender Aya Hegazy and her six co-defendants, after a court-appointed technician was unable to turn on a laptop that contained key evidence in the case. The new hearing is set for 23 March.

Aya Hegazy was arrested by security forces on 1 May 2014, along with her husband Mohamed Hassanien and other employees of “Belady”, whose purpose was the rehabilitation of street children. This followed a complaint that a father had filed against them for kidnapping his son. The prosecution accused them of human trafficking, child molestation and forcing children to join pro-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrations near the Ithahidia Palace.

Aya is an Egyptian national who also holds the American citizenship. She graduated from Georgetown University and returned to Egypt to work in development. She established the “Belady” organisation for the rehabilitation of street children in September 2013 and acquired the necessary permits for that from the Ministry of Social Solidarity.

For more information on this case:

Visit EuroMed Rights' campaign website on human rights activists detained in Egypt
Read this joint statement published by 25 Egyptian human rights organisations

Lawsuit Filed to Quash Decision to End a Scholarship

On February 4, the academic and human rights defender Kholoud Saber lodged a lawsuit before the administrative court against the Minister of Higher Education, the Head of Cairo University, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, the Head of General Directorate of Survey and Information at the Ministry of Higher Education, and the Head of the General Directorate of Cultural Relations at Cairo University, challenging the decision of canceling her grant leave.

Cairo University has asked Kholoud Saber, assistant professor in the Faculty of Arts, to end her grant leave at the University of Leuven in Belgium and return to Egypt, upon a request by the Minister of Higher Education. This matter was seen by human rights groups as a crackdown on academic freedoms.

Prior to her scholarship, Kholoud was Programme Coordinator at the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE).

For further information, read this statement by ANHRI

Chairman of the Egyptian Democratic Institute Barred Again from Travelling

Upon on his attempt to travel to the Unites States of America, on the 27th of February 2016, security agencies banned, for the second time, the chairman of the Egyptian Democratic Institute Hossam El-Din from leaving the country. The first time occurred 14 months ago.

The chairman was prevented from travelling due to being accused over a foreign funding to NGOs case. As reported by Hossam, he was questioned for three hours over the telephone by a National Security Officer.

Journalist and Human Rights Defender Banned from Travelling

On 23 February, security agents at the Cairo International Airport informed journalist and human rights defender Hossam Bahgat that his name was on a list of individuals barred from travel. As explained in a post (in Arabic) on his Facebook account, Bahgat, who was bound to Jordan for a UN conference, was told the travel ban is based on an order from the Public Prosecutor, but neither the details of the ban nor a case number were given to him at the airport.

Hossam Bahgad had been summoned by Military Intelligence in November 2015 after publishing an investigative article on a plotted military coup, and detained for four days pending investigations on charges "of publishing false news that harms national interests and disseminating information that disturbs the public peace". He had travelled twice outside of Egypt since then, and this travel ban was the first restriction of the kind he was subjected to.

For more information, read this article on Mada Masr

Taher Mukhtar’s Imprisonment Renewal Consideration Adjourned

On the 28th of February, the Appellant Misdemeanor Court, convened at the consultation chamber in South Cairo Court, ordered the deferment of the imprisonment renewal of: Taher Mukhtar, member of the freedoms committee at the Doctors' Syndicate, along with two other students, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Hossam Al-Din Hamad, to the hearing of 2/3/2016, over the case No. 498 of 2016 (Abdeen, Misdemeanor).

The three defendants are accused by Abdeen Prosecution of possessing illegal leaflets that aim at disrupting the constitution's provisions, as well as harming the state institutions and the economic and social systems of the country.

Ismail Al-Iskandarani’s Imprisonment Renewed

On the 24th of February, State Security Prosecution ordered the imprisonment renewal of Ismail Al- Iskandarani, a journalist and researcher, for 15 days; over the case no. 569 of 2015 (State security). Al- Iskandarani is charged with joining an unlawful group, and was arrested upon his return to Egypt last November at Hurgada airport.

For more information on the case:

Visit EuroMed Rights' campaign website
Read this statement issued by ANHRI right after his arrest