Ms. Amal Fathy’s preventive detention extended for 15 additional days

EGY 002 / 0518 / OBS 059.2

Arbitrary detention /

Judicial harassment

Egypt

May 24, 2018

The Observatory for the Protection ofHuman Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture(OMCT) and FIDH, has received new information and requests your urgentintervention in the following situation in Egypt.

New information:

TheObservatory has been informed by reliable sources about the ongoing arbitrarydetention on remand of Ms. Amal Fathy, a woman human rightsdefender known for being vocal against human rights violations in Egypt, and inparticular on the arbitrary detention of activists in the country. Ms. Fathy isalso the wife of Mr. Mohamed Lotfy,Executive Director of the Egyptian Commissionfor Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), and a former member of the now banned April 6thmovement.

Accordingto the information received, on May 24, 2018, the Maadi Prosecutor extended Ms.Amal Fathy’s preventive detention for 15 additional days within the Case No. 7991 of2018, without providing any reason for the extension.She is accused of “broadcasting a video harming national security”, “posting a video inciting tooverthrow the regime and spreading false rumors”, and “misusing social media”. Ms. Fathy will appealagainst the decision.

TheObservatory strongly condemns the ongoing arbitrary detention of Ms. AmalFathy, which seems to merely aim at punishing her for her peaceful and legitimate human rightsactivities and those of her husband, Mr. Mohamed Lotfy. Indeed, this is not thefirst time that ECRF and its members are subjected to harassment, due to theirdocumentation of cases of torture in prisons, enforced disappearances as wellas their legal support in Giulio Regeni’s case[1]. The raid on Mr. Mohamed Lotfy’s house andthe arrest of his wife Amal Fathy actually took place one week before the visit of the Italian technical team toreview video footage in connection with the 2016 torture and killing of theItalian researcher.

The Observatory urges the Egyptian authorities torelease Ms. Amal Fathy immediately and unconditionally, to drop allcharges against her and to put an end to all forms of harassment against her,including at the judicial level.

Backgroundinformation:

On May 9, 2018, Ms. AmalFathy posted a 12-minute videoon Facebook criticising the Egyptian Government for failing to protect womenagainst sexual harassment as well as over a general deterioration in living conditions in the country.

Overthe next day, pro-government and State-owned media outlets released articlesciting the video, identifying Ms. Fathy as an April 6 movement activist and thewife of Mohamed Lotfy and accusing her of insulting Egypt and Egyptianinstitutions. This was followed by a wave of harassment on social media alongwith threats against Ms. Fathy.

OnMay 11, 2018, at around 2.30 am, Egyptian security forces broke into the housein Cairo of Ms. Amal Fathy and Mr. Mohamed Lotfy and started searching thehouse. Their mobile phones were seized and they were denied the right tocommunicate with a lawyer or their relatives. The two activists were brought toMaadi police station, in the south of Cairo, along with their three-year-oldson.

Aroundthree hours later, Mr. Lotfy and his son were released. The Maadi Prosecutorsubsequently placed Ms. Amal Fathy under preventive detention for 15 days within the Case No. 7991 of2018.

On May 12, 2018, Ms. Amal Fathy was transferredto Qanater women’s prison.

On May 13, 2018, Ms. Amal Fathy was questioned by the High State Security Prosecution about the April 6th Movement, ECRF and theactivities of her husband. She was then placed under preventive detention for15 additional days in the framework of Case No. 621 of 2018, under whichshe is facing new charges of “membershipof an illegal organisation”, “using the Internet to disseminate ideas that seekto call for terrorist acts” and “broadcasting false news to disrupt publicsecurity and harm national interest”.

Actions requested:

Pleasewrite to the authorities of Egypt asking them to:

i. Guaranteein all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Ms. Amal Fathy, Mr. Mohamed Lotfy, their relatives and all human rightsdefenders in Egypt;

ii. Immediately and unconditionally release Ms. Amal Fathy as her detention isarbitrary and it is merely aimed at punishing her for her human rightsactivities as well as those of her husband;

iii. Put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level,against Ms. Amal Fathy as well as against Mr. Mohamed Lotfy and all humanrights defenders in Egypt, and ensure that they are able to carry outtheir activities without hindrance;

iv. Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human RightsDefenders, 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 rightsand fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of HumanRights and with international and regional human rights instruments ratified byEgypt.

Addresses:

· President of the Arab Republic ofEgypt, 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. MagdiAbdel-Ghaffar, Fax: +202 2579 2031 / 2794 5529

· Minister of Justice, Mohamed HossamAbdel-Rahim, Fax: +202 2795 8103 


· Minister of Social Solidarity, GhadaWaly, Fax: +202 3337 5390

· Public Prosecutor, Counsellor NabeelSadek, Fax: +202 2577 4716

· Mr. Mohamed Fayeq, President of theNational 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 orembassies of Egypt in your respective country.

***

Geneva-Paris, May 24, 2018

Kindly inform us of any action undertakenquoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for the Protection of HumanRights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by the WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programmeis to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against humanrights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights DefendersMechanism implemented by international civil society.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergencyline:

· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org

· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22809 49 29

· Teland fax FIDH + 33 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80

[1] See Observatory UrgentAppeal EGY 004 / 0917 / OBS 105, published on September 27, 2017.