support arrested egyptian anti-war protestors

Case EGY 170203
Arbitrary detention / Freedom of expression

The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in Egypt.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the
Egyptian Organisation of Human Rights (EOHR), a member of the OMCT
network, of the arbitrary arrests and detention of 15 peaceful
demonstrators in Egypt.

According to the information received, the Egyptian authorities have
arrested 15 persons in relation with demonstrations against the war
in Iraq. Many of them remain in pre-trial detention with some of them
having reportedly been kept in incommunicado detention during this
time.

Most recently, during the early morning of February 9th, officials
from the State Security Investigations Office arrested Mr. Ibrahim El
Sahary, who is a journalist at Akhbar El Alam "World News" and an
anti-war activist. He was held in the office of State Security
Investigations in Gaber Ibn Hayan in Giza, Cairo before being
transfered to Mazraat Tora prison. His arrest was reportedly related
to the demonstration that was held in the Book Fair.

Separately, the State Security Investigations arrested 11 persons who
demonstrated against the war against Iraq on 18/1/2003 in El Sayeda
Zenab district, Cairo. Following their arrest, they were referred to
the State Security Prosecution that decided to detain them pending
investigation, on charges of disrupting the public order and peace.
Several of their number remain under pre-trial detention in Tora
prison. A further three persons have been detained in separately in
relation to anti-war demonstrations.

The persons identities are as follows:

1) Karim Ahmed Mohamed Omr - was detained in El Darb El Ahmar Police
Station, has since been released;
2) Tamer Hendawi Abd El Hafeez - initially held at the State Security
Investigations Office (SSIO) following a demonstration in front of
the People's Assembly;
3) Mohamed Khalil Ghatas - an accountant from Shebeen El Kanater,
initially held at the SSIO after a demonstration in El Sayeda Zenab;
4) Mohamed Dakhli - initially held at the SSIO after a demonstration
in El Sayeda Zenab;
5) Abdel Gawaad Ahmed Mostafa - initially held at the SSIO after a
demonstration in El Sayeda Zenab;
6) Rami Safwat - arrested near the bar association in Abd El Khalek,
initially held at the SSIO after a demonstration in El Sayeda Zenab;
7) Mahmed Hassan Hassan Ahmed - a secondary student, initially held
at the SSIO;
8) Mahmed Abd El samee - a secondary student, was detained in El Darb
El Ahmar Police Station, has since been released;
9) Mostafa Aid Ramadan - detained in El Sayeda Zenab Police Station,
has since been released;
10) Mohamd Abd El Razek Mohamed - detained in El Darb Al Ahmar Police
Station, following demonstration in El Azhar, has since been
released;
11) Magdy El Kordi;
12) Mohamed Hosni Mahmoud ( Palestinian);
13) Samir El Fouli;
14) Sabri El Samak - the Director of production at Aflam Misr El
Alameya, the production company of Egyptian film director Yousef
Shahin
15) and the afore-mentioned Mr. Ibrahim El Sahary.

The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned by these
reports of arbitrary arrests and detention of persons engaged in
exercising their rights to the freedom of expression and opinion.
OMCT calls upon the authorities to order their immediate release and
to halt any further action of this type against peaceful
demonstrators, as these represent violations of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that has been ratified by
Egypt.

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in Egypt urging them to:

i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and
psychological integrity of the afore-mentioned persons that have been
detained as a result of
participation in peaceful anti-war demonstrations, given that some of
them have reportedly already been detained incommunicado, which gives
rise to fears that they may
have been or may yet be subjected to ill-treatment or torture;
ii. order their immediate release in the absence of valid legal
charges or, if such charges exist, bring them before an impartial and
competent tribunal and guarantee
their procedural rights at all times;
iii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the
circumstances these arrests in order to identify those responsible,
bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil
and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iv. put an immediate end to the persecution and harassment of
peaceful demostrators;
v. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms
throughout the country in accordance with international human rights
standards.

Addresses

· H.E. President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, Abedine Palace, Cairo,
Egypt, Fax: 202 390 199 98, Email : [email protected]
· H.E. General Habib Ibrahim El Adly, Minister of the Interior, Al -
Sheik Rihan Street, Bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt, Fax: 202 579 2031
· Her Excellency Mrs Naéla Gabr, Ambassador of Egypt to the United
Nations in Geneva, Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva,
Avenue Blanc 49, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, fax: + 41 22 738 44 15, e-
mail: [email protected]

Please also write to the embassies of Egypt in your respective
country.

Geneva, February 17th, 2003

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this
appeal in your reply.
Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard
Case postale 21
CH-1211 Geneve 8
Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : [email protected]
http://www.omct.org