EGY 003 / 0518 / OBS 069
Arbitrary detention /
Judicial harassment
Egypt
May 23, 2018
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Egypt.
Description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the arbitrary detention of Mr. Haytham Mohamadein, labour lawyer and a member of El-Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, an Egyptian NGO dedicated to combating torture and providing medical and legal aid in support of victims of human rights’ abuses.
According to the information received, on May 18, 2018, just before dawn, members of the police and National Security Agency assailed Mr. Haytham Mohamadein’s home in El Saf in Giza Governorate and arrested him. No warrant was presented to him.
Mr. Haytham Mohamadein was detained in an unknown location until he appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in New Cairo’s Tagammu El-Khamis District on May 19, 2018. On this day, the prosecutor ordered a 15-day detention period pending an investigation on charges of "aiding a terrorist organisation to achieve its goals" and "calling for illegal protests". These charges stem from the Prosecution’s allegations of Mr. Haytham Mohamadein’s participation in protests over the rise in metro fares on May 12, 2018, although he did not take part in the protests.
On May 19, 2018, Mr. Haytham Mohamadein was transferred to the Central Security Forces Camp "Kilo 10.5", which is located on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road.
The Observatory recalls that this is not the first time Mr. Haytham Mohamadein is targeted by the Egyptian authorities for his legitimate and peaceful human rights activities as he was detained on at least two different occasions in the past, the latter from April to October 2016, on charges of "joining a banned group, participating in an illegal protest and plotting the overthrow of the ruling government".
Thus, the Observatory urges the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Haytham Mohamadein as his detention is arbitrary and only aims at silencing his human rights work. Indeed, Mr. Haytham Mohamadein’s arrest and detention occur in a wider trend of harassment and arbitrary detentions against human rights defenders in Egypt, where authorities have been cracking down on nearly all independent human rights organisations. Since the beginning of 2018, the Observatory has documented the arbitrary detention of several human rights defenders, including of Ms. Amal Fathy on May 11, 2018 [1].
The Observatory further urges the Egyptian authorities to put an end to all forms of harassment against Mr. Haytham Mohamadein and to ensure human rights defenders in Egypt are able to carry out their legitimate and peaceful human rights work without fear of hindrance or reprisals.
Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities of Egypt asking them to:
i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Haytham Mohamadein, and all human rights defenders in Egypt;
ii. Immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Haytham Mohamadein as his detention is arbitrary and merely aimed at punishing him for his human rights activities;
iii. Put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, Mr. Haytham Mohamadein and all human rights defenders in Egypt, and ensure that they are able to carry out their activities without hindrance or fear of reprisals;
iv. Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially Articles 1, 6(c) and 12.2; and
v. More generally, ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments ratified by Egypt.
Addresses:
• President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Fax: +202 2391 1441. Email: p.spokesman@op.gov.eg, Twitter: @AlsisiOfficial
• Prime Minister, Mr. Sherif Ismail. Fax: + 202 2735 6449 / 27958016.
• Minister of the Interior, Mr. Magdi Abdel-Ghaffar, Fax: +202 2579 2031 / 2794 5529
• Minister of Justice, Mohamed Hossam Abdel-Rahim, Fax: +202 2795 8103
• Minister of Social Solidarity, Ghada Waly, Fax: +202 3337 5390
• Public Prosecutor, Counsellor Nabeel Sadek, Fax: +202 2577 4716
• Mr. Mohamed Fayeq, President of the National Council For Human Rights, Fax: + 202 25747497 / 25747670. Email: nchr@nchr.org.eg
• H.E. Mr. Amr Ramadan, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Email: mission.egypt@ties.itu.int, Fax: +41 22 738 44 15
• Embassy of Egypt in Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +32 2 675.58.88; Email: embassy.egypt@skynet.be
Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Egypt in your respective country.
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Geneva-Paris, May 23, 2018
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
• E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
• Tel and fax OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29
• Tel and fax FIDH + 33 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80