Joint Statement: 2 year jail sentence in appeal for Yara Sallam and 23 other protesters

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN),the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (joint FIDH-OMCTprogramme) and Front Line Defenders stronglycondemn the two year jail sentence handed down by the appeal court, sitting inNew Cairo Police Academy, on Sunday 28 December 2014 for Yara Sallam,Transitional Justice Officer at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights(EIPR) and 23 other young activists, including Ms. Sanaa Seif, a memberof the “No to Military Trials for Civilians” movement and sister of blogger AlaaAbdel Fattah, for allegedly violating Egypt's controversial Protest Law.

Sinceits implementation in 2013, Egypt's Protest Law has been increasingly used tosuppress and imprison political activists and dissenters, as well as humanrights defenders. The judgement and sentence in this case is yet anotherexample of the Egyptian judiciary effectively shutting down the democratic means by which citizens can question and/or criticise the current regime.

Human rights groups across Egypt and internationally have called thecharges against Yara Sallam and the other activists baseless, describing the case as yetanother "show-trial"based on scant evidence and intended to warn citizens against defyinggovernment policies.

Despite the lack of any credible evidence and clear inconsistencies in the police reports ofthe events which took place on 21 June 2013 outside Itihadeya Palace, on 26October 2014, a Misdemeanor Court sentenced Yara Sallam and the other defendants to three years inprison, three years of probation, and an LE 10,000 fine for breaching therepressive Protest Law and othertrumped-up charges including damaging property and “displaying force”.The judgement handed down by the Appeal Court on 28 December 2014 reduced thissentence to two years, cancelled the fine and reduced the period of police surveillance followingrelease to two years.

TheEMHRN, the Observatory and Front Line Defenders call for this verdict andsentence to be immediately overturned, the 23 defendants to be immediatelyreleased, the Protest Law to be repealed or amended to allow forproper freedomof assembly in Egypt in accordance withinternational standards, and for the judiciary to assert its independence fromthe Egyptian authorities and to ensure the implementation, promotion andprotection of the rule of law.