Reappearance and arbitrary detention of ECRF researcher Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din

EGY 002 / 0619/ OBS 050.1
Enforceddisappearance /
Arbitrarydetention /
Torture /
Judicialharassment
Egypt
November 27, 2019

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership ofthe World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, has received newinformation and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation inEgypt.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed by reliablesources about the reappearance and arbitrary detention of Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, researcher on the right to housing at theEgyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), a human rights law firmbased in Cairo operating in several governorates.

According to the information received, onNovember 26, 2019, Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din at last reappeared at State securityprosecution after 167 days of enforced disappearance since his arrest at hishome in Mokkatam, Cairo, on June 11, 2019 (see background information).

In the presence of Mr. Ezz El-Din’s lawyers, the Prosecutor investigated him onaccusations of “contributing to the achievement of the objectives of aterrorist group” and “publication of false information undermining nationalsecurity”, in Case 488 of 2019 State security prosecution[1].

Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, who appeared weak and having lost much weight, told the Prosecutorthat he was tortured during his detention to extract information about hisrelationship to ECRF, and about ECRF's work, as well as kept in inhumane anddegrading conditions of detention, at several security agencies locations.

Awaiting a decision from the Prosecutor abouthis detention, it is expected he will be given 15 days pre-trial detention. Thelocation of his future detention remained unknown at the time of publication ofthis Urgent Appeal.

TheObservatory expresses its utmost concern over the enforced disappearance, actsof torture and arbitrary detention of Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, which seem to come as aresult of his criticism of the policies of the government towards shanty urbanareas and slums[2].The Observatory also recalls that this is not the first time that ECRF and itsmembers are subjected to harassment[3].

TheObservatory calls on the Egyptian authorities to guarantee in all circumstancesMr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din’sphysical integrity and psychological well-being, to release him immediately and unconditionally andto immediately and unconditionally end any acts ofharassment, including at the judicial level, against him and all the humanrights defenders in Egypt.

Backgroundinformation:

OnJune 11, 2019, Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Dinwas arrested on his way home from ECRF office in Cairo’s Mokattam area.However, despite requests from his mother and ECRF lawyers, the Mokattam policestation consistently denied detaining him. Despite communications from Mr.Ibrahim Ezz El-Din’s mother and ECRF to the Attorney General, no information onthe whereabouts of Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din was available until he reappeared at State security prosecution on November 26,2019.

Actions requested:

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

i. Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physicalintegrity and psychological well-being of Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din as well as of all human rights defendersin Egypt;

ii. Immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din as his detention is arbitrary since it only seemsto aim at punishing him for his human rights activities;

iii. Guarantee the unhindered access of Mr. IbrahimEzz El-Din to medical assistance, a lawyer of his choice and his familymembers;

iv. Carry out atransparent, impartial, immediate and thorough investigation into theabove-mentioned allegations of torture in order to identify all thoseresponsible, bring them before an independent tribunal, and sanction them asprovided by the law;

v. Put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level,against Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, as well as of all humanrights defenders in Egypt and ensure that they are able to carry out their activitieswithout hindrance;

vi. Conform in allcircumstances to the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders,adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly, inparticular its Articles 1 and 12.2.;

vii. Ensure in allcircumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordancewith international human rights instruments ratified by Egypt.

Addresses:

· President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E.Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Fax: +202 2391 1441. Email: p.spokesman@op.gov.eg, Twitter: @AlsisiOfficial

· Prime Minister, Mr. Mustafa KemalMadbouly Mohamed. Email: pm@cabinet.gov.eg

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

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


· Public Prosecutor, Counsellor Nabeel Sadek,Fax: +202 2577 4716

· Head of the Egyptian parliament’s Human Rights Committee, Mr. AlaaAbed, Email: humanrightscomplaints@parliament.gov.eg

· Mr. Mohamed Fayeq, President of the National Council for HumanRights, Fax: + 202 25747497 / 25747670. Email: nchr@nchr.org.eg

· H.E. Mr. Alaa Youssef, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Egypt tothe United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Email: mission.egypt@bluewin.ch

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

Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Egypt inyour respective country.

***

Geneva-Paris, November 27, 2019

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

The Observatory forthe Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective ofthis programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repressionagainst human rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European UnionHuman Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.

[1] The Case 488 of 2019 State security prosecutionalso includes Ms. Esraa Abdel Fattah, a journalist, political activistand founder of the “Free Egyptian Women Group” for women’s politicalempowerment, and human rights lawyer Mahienour El-Massry, among others.For more information see Observatory Urgent Appeals EGY006 / 1019 / OBS 079 and EGY 003 / 0919 / OBS 074,published on published on October 15, 2019 and September23, 2019.

[2] Inparticular he criticised the Maspero Triangle development project which led tothe demolition of 75% of the Maspero triangle slums in Cairo and of the massdisplacement of the inhabitants of Cairo’s Al-Warraq Island as a result ofanother development project.

[3] See inparticular Observatory Urgent Appeals EGY 004 / 0917 / OBS 105and EGY 002 / 0518 / OBS 059.9,published on on September 27, 2017 and January11, 2019.

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