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December 29th

Closing Human Rights Organizations: A desperate attempt to silence the voices of the oppressed

Thu, 29/12/2011 - 01:00 — زائر مجهول

In Continuity of the series of repression pursed by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces since it became the ruling entity in February last year; police forces along with members from the judiciary broke into a number of non-governmental human rights organizations today.

They ambushed its offices, detained its staff and seized its files, devices and documents deeming these actions as a continuation of the investigations announced a while back.  It was conveyed through the minister of justice that these investigations are still ongoing refuting all what was published in the media.

It is worth-mentioning that among the NGO’s that they stormed in today and red tapped was the Center of Human Rights for Monitoring the General Budget, of which its director Helmy Al-Rawy (lawyer) was supposed to appear for an inquiry on January 1, 2012.

Yet the authorities decided to preempt the judicial investigation and to break in the offices and seize all the belongings therein.  The number of organizations that have been broke in up till the writing of this statement is five organizations, despite what is published in state-owned Middle East News Agency that this campaign enclosed eighteen NGO’s in a story that seems to be published earlier than it was supposed to.

October 25th

Military Justice: Beating, Dragging, Disregard for forensics, Indecent Assaults and Alteration of Charges

Tue, 25/10/2011 - 01:00 — زائر مجهول

The night of bloody Sunday, October 9, 2011, Military Police and Central Security arrested 29 people, mostly Christians who were transferred to military prosecution. The following day Binyamin Raafat Farag, a minor by virtue of law, and an adult by virtue of military justice was also arrested. And therefore he and two other minors Hanah Lateef Faheem and Abanob Naseef Zaki, like others appeared before military trials.

As it had been accustomed, the process of arrest was associated with beatings, insults and humiliation, it was conveyed through some detainees that they were taken by the military police into the Maspiro building, where they went up several floors and were subjected to severe beating and kicking by military police and civilians, the bruises and wounds were noticeable on the defendants the following day when they were brought to military prosecution.

Among the defendants, Mr. Atef Mohamed Mohamed Kasir,a former navel captain, 67 years old, diabetic, suffers from hypertension and a sore inflammation in his leg nerves extending from the knees till his feet.

Amid them as well Amthol Mahmoud Abdel-Fattah, who had been inflicted with mental delay since childhood and who was not subject to prosecution for this reason. The prosecutor said that there has been a decision to release him, but he did not arrive home until the writing of this report.

June 11th

Back for Vengeance!

Sat, 11/06/2011 - 00:00 — زائر مجهول

A record set by the Egyptian security forces in the abuse of torture of citizens after a halt where torture was only practiced by the military police. The institutions differed whereas the torture remained, as if the revolution had not been on January 25, the police day in particular to send a clear message that the Egyptian people are tired of humiliation, torture and prosecution while the oppressors enjoy security, immunity and protections of the prosecution and the law.

Is the ministry of interior avenging itself? Or is it competing with the military police in oppressing Egyptians and torturing them. Or was the freedom enjoyed by the officers accused in killing demonstrators during the revolution a message to all police officers that there will not be consequences, that they will enjoy civil trials without limiting their freedoms and without even suspending them.

March 20th

Commentary from Egyptian human rights organizations on the interview with Major General Hamdy Badeen military police commander in the Egyptian El Shorouk newspaper.

Sun, 20/03/2011 - 17:04 — عايدة سيف الدولة

On March 17th , 2011 , El-Shorouk newspaper published an interview with Major General Hamdy Badeen, military police commander. Badeen denied all torture allegations by the army or military police and denied that the Egyptian museum has turned into a slaughter house . Badeen innocently wondered from which gate the military police vehicles would enter to collect detainees. Badeen added that he knows 27 of the revolution youth who were arrested on March 6 when demonstrators tried to get through to SSI in Lazoghly.

March 2nd

Human Rights Organizations Condemn the Trial of Civilians before Military Courts

Wed, 02/03/2011 - 20:48 — عايدة سيف الدولة

The undersigned organizations today condemned a military tribunal's conviction of Amr Abdallah Abd el-Rasoul el-Beheiry (32 years) on March 1st on charges of assault of an officer and breaking curfew. The tribunal further sentenced him to a prison term of five years all within a period that did not exceed three days from the time of his arrest.


The signatory organizations to this statement stressed that civilians are not to be prosecuted and tried for non-military crimes before military tribunals composed of military officers, which is contrary to the basic rights of citizens to a fair trial. They also stressed that all international treaties ratified by Egypt affirm the adherence to the standards of a fair trial even in times of emergency and that no state has the right to derogate from this obligation.


The undersigned organizations express their deep concern over hundreds of trials that took place in the past few weeks since the outbreak of the Revolution on 25 January and that have been tainted with the suspicion of violating internationally agreed upon principles regarding fair and public trials.

 

In many of these cases, family members of the defendants were not able to visit their relatives or hire lawyers to defend them. In the cases where a lawyer was hired, the pace with which the trials took place, did not allow the lawyers much time to review case files or prepare an appropriate defense. The secrecy of the trial proceedings further aggravate the situation, as often the defendants' families are not informed of the time of the trial, or where their relatives are being detained, until after the verdict is issued.  

From Civil Society Organizations

Wed, 02/03/2011 - 00:55 — عايدة سيف الدولة

The Supreme Council of Armed Forces is urged to open the doors for democratic transformation and secure accountability of the Mubarak regime

The undersigned Egyptian human rights organizations are closely following the efforts of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces as it manages the country’s affairs in this difficult period, during which the council must assume its responsibilities and honor its vows to respond to the demands and aspirations of the Egyptian people as expressed in the January 25 revolution. Additionally, it must face the repercussions of the overthrow of the Mubarak regime and the disintegration and suspicious withdrawal of the security establishment that accompanied it. The Council must also expose and curb the catastrophic consequences of theft, financial and administrative corruption, and the ruination of the country’s political life perpetrated by a broad network of interests, including the office of the presidency, prominent figures of what was previously known as the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), and influential leaders within the parliament and the executive branch.

We realize that the armed forces acted as a pillar of support for the Egyptian revolution, helping to achieve its first goal of the removal of the former president and the dissolution of the People’s Assembly and Shura Council, which were stigmatized and delegitimized by flagrantly fraudulent elections.

Nevertheless, the undersigned organizations feel growing concern about the path being taken in the transitional phase, which should presumably lay the foundation for a democratic, civil state that respects human rights—the overriding goal for which Egyptians made costly sacrifices.

In this context, we make the following observations:

February 25th

Silence is Not an Option!

Fri, 25/02/2011 - 01:03 — عايدة سيف الدولة

Petition for immediate action by the United Nations Human Rights Council

The undersigned organisations urge the Human Rights Council to act urgently to respond to the violent repression of demonstrations currently underway in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.  The Human Rights Council cannot be a passive bystander of such events, during which the lives of ordinary citizens have been taken or put at risk through violent and unlawful repression. Hundreds of thousands of people in several countries have taken to the streets to peacefully call for their fundamental rights and freedoms to be respected.  Several hundred demonstrators have been killed. Protestors, journalists, human rights defenders, former political prisoners and humanitarian workers have been beaten or arbitrarily arrested.   In the face of such wide-spread rights violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms the United Nations Human Rights Council can no longer remain silent.  The Council should: