According to the information received, Mr. Hany Riydh Shaker and Mr. Tamer Sulaiman, two activists of the Egyptian Center for Housing Rights (ECHR) were arrested on Thursday 26 December while conducting a fact-finding mission in the Sohag Governorate, 500 km South of Cairo, regarding violations of housing rights in the village of Nagaa Al Shaikh Hamad. As a consequence of the collapse of a Sewage station in this village, 900 persons lost their homes. Both of them were arrested by the police force that led them to the Governorate security department at the pretext of verifying their identity. On the same day, they were released and as they were to meet with the Secretary General of the Governorate to obtain a permit to meet and interview victims, they were re-arrested.
The public prosecutor deputy ordered their detention for four days pending investigation. They were interrogated in the absence of their lawyers. They are now being detained at the police station in Akhmin. They face charges of impersonating the capacity of journalists, although they presented themselves as mandated by the Egyptian Center for Housing Rights and charges of provoking social unrest and violence.
The ECHR fears that its members were arrested in reprisal of the publication of a report presented by the Center to the UN Committee against torture in November 2002.
On 21 December, Hany Riydh had already been arrested on the claim that he was disseminating a leaflet calling for a peaceful demonstration against the war in Iraq. According to the Egyptian Center for Housing Rights, he was beaten and tortured during his detention and as a Copt, suffered religious insult by State Security police officers. He was detained for three days and faces charges for disseminating provocative propaganda that may threaten social peace, government stability and public interest.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders urges Egyptian authorities:
– To immediately order the release of Mr. Hany Riydh Shaker and Tamer Sulaiman and to drop charges against them, since they only aim at sanctioning their activities as human rights defenders and are therefore arbitrary;
– To start an internal investigation about the alleged ill treatment suffered by Hany Riydh while detained the first time;
– To stop any kind of harassment of human rights defenders in Egypt;
– To comply with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1998, in particular with article 1 which states that "everybody has the right individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels" and article 6(a) which states that "everyone has the right, individually or in association with others to know, seek , obtain receive and hold information about all human rights and fundamental freedoms (...)";
– To conform to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International human rights instruments ratified by Egypt and in particular to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.