New information
EGY 005 / 0919 / OBS 076.1

Arbitrary detention /
Judicial harassment

Egypt

October 4, 2019

The Observatory for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requestsyour urgent intervention in the following situation in Egypt.

New information:

The Observatory hasbeen informed by reliable sources about the ongoing arbitrary detention andjudicial harassment of Ms. Asmaa Dabees, Mr. Mohamed Helmy Hamdoun,her husband, and Mr. Ahmad Helmy Hamdoun, her brother-in-law. Ms. Asmaa Dabeesis one of the leaders of the Egyptian feminist movement and founder of the“Daughter of the Nile”, an initiative working on violence against women inBeheira with a focus on domestic violence, female genital mutilation, andforced marriage. She is also a member of the Regional Coalition for Women HumanRights Defenders in the Middle East and North Africa (WHRD-MENA Coalition). Mr. Mohamed Helmy is alawyer who has recently been active in representing people arrested during therecent anti-Sisi demonstrations.

According to theinformation received, on October 1, 2019, Ms. Asmaa Dabees and her familymembers appeared in Zeinohom Court after five days of enforced disappearance(see background information). At the end of interrogations, State SecurityProsecution ordered a 15-day pre-trial detention against the three of themunder Case 1338/2019. On the same day, Ms. Dabees and her family members weretransferred to the security forces camp in Damanhour, which is a camp for menonly. Hence, Ms. Dabees should be detained alone, but as the camp is not aprison and no other details are available on the camp’s facilities, there areconcerns regarding her conditions of detention.

The Observatory recalls that sincethe outbreak of popular protests across the country on September 20, 2019,calling on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to resign, at least two thousands ofpeople - including minors - have been detained by the Egyptian authorities,including protesters, journalists, lawyers, and members of opposition politicalparties, amid a new wave of repression of the Egyptian people. Other human rights defenders have alsobeen arrested, including human rights lawyer Mahienour El-Massry, whowas arrested on September 22, 2019[1],the blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah and his lawyer, Mohamed El-Baqer[2].

The Observatory expresses its utmostconcern over the ongoing arbitrary detention and judicial harassment of Ms.Asmaa Dabees and her family members, and urges the Egyptian authorities to immediatelyand unconditionally release them, as their detention seems to be only aimed atsanctioning them for their legitimate human rights activities, and to put anend to any act of harassment, including at the judicial level, against them andall the human rights defenders in Egypt.

Background information:

On September 26, 2019, policeofficers in civilian clothes arrested Ms. Asmaa Dabees, her husband, Mr.Mohamed Helmy Hamdoun, and her brother-in-law, in a cafe in Damanhour city(Nile Delta). The policeofficers handcuffed and blindfolded Ms. Asmaa Dabees and her family membersbefore taking them in the police car. Ms. Asmaa Dabees, her husband and herbrother-in-law’s whereabouts remained unknown and no information was providedregarding potential charges against them until October 1, 2019.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities in Egypt,urging them to:

i. Guaranteethe physical integrity and psychological well-being of Ms. Asmaa Dabees, Mr. Mohamed Helmy Hamdoun and Mr. Ahmad Helmy Hamdoun, inall circumstances, as well as that of all human rights defenders in Egypt,including those defending the rights of protesters;

ii. Immediately and unconditionally release Ms. Asmaa Dabees, Mr. Mohamed Helmy Hamdoun and Mr. Ahmad Helmy Hamdoun as their detention is arbitrary since it only seems toaim at punishing Ms. Asmaa Dabees and Mr. Mohamed Helmy for their human rightsactivities;

iii. Guarantee the unhindered access of Ms. AsmaaDabees, Mr. Mohamed Helmy Hamdounand Mr. Ahmad Helmy Hamdoun to a lawyerof their choice and their family members;

iv. Put an end to all acts of harassment,including at the judicial level, against Ms. Asmaa Dabees, Mr. Mohamed Helmy Hamdoun, Mr. Ahmad Helmy Hamdoun as well as ofall human rights defenders in Egypt and ensure that they are able to carry out their activitieswithout hindrance;

v. Conform in all circumstances to theprovisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9,1998 by the United Nations General Assembly, in particular its Articles 1 and12.2.;

vi. Ensurein all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms inaccordance with international human rights instruments ratified by Egypt.

Addresses:

· Presidentof the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Fax: +202 23911441. Email: p.spokesman@op.gov.eg, Twitter: @AlsisiOfficial

· PrimeMinister, Mr. Mustafa Kemal Madbouly Mohamed. Email:pm@cabinet.gov.eg

· Minister ofthe Interior, Mr. Mahmoud Tawfik, Email: center@iscmi.gov.eg

· Minister ofJustice, Mr. Mohamed Hossam Abdel-Rahim, Fax: +202 2795 8103 


· PublicProsecutor, Counsellor Nabeel Sadek, Fax: +202 2577 4716

· Head of theEgyptian parliament’s Human Rights Committee, Mr. Alaa Abed, Email: humanrightscomplaints@parliament.gov.eg

· Mr. MohamedFayeq, President of the National Council for Human Rights, Fax: + 202 25747497/ 25747670. Email: nchr@nchr.org.eg

· H.E.Mr. Alaa Youssef, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Egypt to the UnitedNations in Geneva, Switzerland, Email: mission.egypt@bluewin.ch

· Embassy ofEgypt in Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +32 2 675.58.88; Email: embassy.egypt@skynet.be

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

***

Paris-Geneva, October4, 2019

Kindly inform us of anyaction undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 byFIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of thisprogramme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression againsthuman rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European UnionHuman Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.

To contact theObservatory, call the emergency line:

· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org

· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 143 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80

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

[1] SeeObservatory Urgent Appeal EGY 003 / 0919 / OBS 074,published on September 23, 2019.

[2] SeeObservatory Urgent Appeal EGY 004 / 0919 / OBS 075, published onSeptember 30, 2019. @font-face { font-family: Wingdings;}@font-face { font-family: "MS Mincho";}@font-face { font-family: "MS Gothic";}@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math";}@font-face { font-family: "@MS Mincho";}@font-face { font-family: "@MS Gothic";}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }h1 { margin: 24pt 0cm 0.0001pt 21.6pt; text-indent: -21.6pt; break-after: avoid; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); font-weight: normal; }p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; }p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }span.Heading1Char { font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }span.InternetLink { }span.ww-lieninternet { }span.FooterChar { font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; }span.Ancredenotedebasdepage { vertical-align: super; }span.FootnoteTextChar { font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }span.LienInternet { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }span.ListLabel21 { font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; color: black; text-decoration: underline; }span.Caractresdenotedebasdepage { }span.FooterChar1 { font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }span.HeaderChar { font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }span.FootnoteTextChar1 { font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }p.FrameContents, li.FrameContents, div.FrameContents { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Calibri", sans-serif; }div.WordSection1 { }ol { margin-bottom: 0cm; }ul { margin-bottom: 0cm; }