Egypt
03.07.00
Urgent Interventions
Egypt: Arbitrary arrest and detention
URGENT APPEAL –OBSERVATORY
EGY 002 / 0007 / OBS 065
Arbitrary arrest and detention
Egypt
3rd July 2000
The Observatory for the protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Egypt.
Brief description of the situation :
The Observatory was informed by the Egyptian Organization For Human Rights (EOHR), that Dr. Saad El Din Ibrahim, the professor of political sociology at the American University
in Cairo and the director of the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Developmental Studies, was arrested, his house raided by state security forces and some of his documents confiscated at midnight on Friday 30 June 2000.
Dr Saad El Din was held at the headquarters of the Higher State Security Prosecution Bureau until the morning of Saturday 1 July 2000,when he was interrogated by the State Security Prosecutor. Charges were brought against him for: collecting funds without a permit from the official authorities, misappropriation of funds in a fraudulent manner to prepare forged voting lists and cards, cooperation with others to prepare forged voting lists and cards, preparing public media containing false phrases and rumors and disseminating provocative propaganda that could cause damage to the public interest as well as accepting funds from a foreign country with the purpose of carrying out work harmful to the national interest by producing a film that damages Egypt's reputation abroad.
The prosecutor ordered the arrest of Dr Saad El Din Ibrahim for fifteen days pending investigation.
Also on 30 June 2000, the state security investigation bureauraided the Ibn Khaldoun center and arrested two of the Center's staff, Nadia Abdel Nour, (the Financial Director of the center, a Sudanese national) and Ossama Hamad. They confiscated some of the Center's account files, computer disks, computers, a safe and some pamphlets.
On 1 July 2000, the prosecutor who ordered the arrest of Dr. Ibrahim, also ordered the arrest of Nadia Abdel Nour for fifteen days pending investigation. In addition, he ordered the arrest of three other workers from the Ibn Khaldoun Center: Khaled Fayyad, Mamdouh Mansour and Ayman Gabel.
The Observatory is very concerned by those arrests and searches, which seem to further illustrate the muzzling of the Egyptian civil society and democratic movements by Egyptian authorities.
Actions requested:
Please write to the Egyptian authorities urging them to:
i. release immediately M. Saad El Din Ibrahim, Mrs. Nadia Abdel Nour, and any other person being held in detention in the framework of these events and in case of valid charges against them, ensure that the right to a fair and impartial trial is upheld.
ii. abide by the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9th 1998 ("Declaration on the Rights and Responsibility of individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ") and more particularly Article 6 which states that “ everyone has the right, individually and in association with others…to publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms. ”
iii. generally, guarantee the effective respect of fundamental human rights and freedoms in accordance with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international and regional Pacts and Covenants ratified by Egypt.
Addresses :
His Excellency Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abedine Palace, Cairo, Egypt. Telex: 93794 WAZRA UN
His Excellency General Hassan al-Afly, Minister of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior, Al-Sheik Rihan Street, bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt. Telex: 21361 UN - Fax: +202 355 81 03
His Excellency Faruq Sayf Al-Nasr, Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, Midan Lazoghly, Cairo, Egypt. Fax: +202 355 81 03
Geneva - Paris, 3rd July 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need. 1998 Human Rights Prize of The French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line: Fax : +33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel: FIDH +33 (0) 1 48 55 20 11 OMCT: +41 (0) 22 809 49
39 E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
EGY 002 / 0007 / OBS 065
Arbitrary arrest and detention
Egypt
3rd July 2000
The Observatory for the protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Egypt.
Brief description of the situation :
The Observatory was informed by the Egyptian Organization For Human Rights (EOHR), that Dr. Saad El Din Ibrahim, the professor of political sociology at the American University
in Cairo and the director of the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Developmental Studies, was arrested, his house raided by state security forces and some of his documents confiscated at midnight on Friday 30 June 2000.
Dr Saad El Din was held at the headquarters of the Higher State Security Prosecution Bureau until the morning of Saturday 1 July 2000,when he was interrogated by the State Security Prosecutor. Charges were brought against him for: collecting funds without a permit from the official authorities, misappropriation of funds in a fraudulent manner to prepare forged voting lists and cards, cooperation with others to prepare forged voting lists and cards, preparing public media containing false phrases and rumors and disseminating provocative propaganda that could cause damage to the public interest as well as accepting funds from a foreign country with the purpose of carrying out work harmful to the national interest by producing a film that damages Egypt's reputation abroad.
The prosecutor ordered the arrest of Dr Saad El Din Ibrahim for fifteen days pending investigation.
Also on 30 June 2000, the state security investigation bureauraided the Ibn Khaldoun center and arrested two of the Center's staff, Nadia Abdel Nour, (the Financial Director of the center, a Sudanese national) and Ossama Hamad. They confiscated some of the Center's account files, computer disks, computers, a safe and some pamphlets.
On 1 July 2000, the prosecutor who ordered the arrest of Dr. Ibrahim, also ordered the arrest of Nadia Abdel Nour for fifteen days pending investigation. In addition, he ordered the arrest of three other workers from the Ibn Khaldoun Center: Khaled Fayyad, Mamdouh Mansour and Ayman Gabel.
The Observatory is very concerned by those arrests and searches, which seem to further illustrate the muzzling of the Egyptian civil society and democratic movements by Egyptian authorities.
Actions requested:
Please write to the Egyptian authorities urging them to:
i. release immediately M. Saad El Din Ibrahim, Mrs. Nadia Abdel Nour, and any other person being held in detention in the framework of these events and in case of valid charges against them, ensure that the right to a fair and impartial trial is upheld.
ii. abide by the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9th 1998 ("Declaration on the Rights and Responsibility of individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ") and more particularly Article 6 which states that “ everyone has the right, individually and in association with others…to publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms. ”
iii. generally, guarantee the effective respect of fundamental human rights and freedoms in accordance with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international and regional Pacts and Covenants ratified by Egypt.
Addresses :
His Excellency Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abedine Palace, Cairo, Egypt. Telex: 93794 WAZRA UN
His Excellency General Hassan al-Afly, Minister of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior, Al-Sheik Rihan Street, bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt. Telex: 21361 UN - Fax: +202 355 81 03
His Excellency Faruq Sayf Al-Nasr, Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, Midan Lazoghly, Cairo, Egypt. Fax: +202 355 81 03
Geneva - Paris, 3rd July 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need. 1998 Human Rights Prize of The French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line: Fax : +33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel: FIDH +33 (0) 1 48 55 20 11 OMCT: +41 (0) 22 809 49
39 E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch