Tag Archives: Egypt

NGOs renew their call for the release of Egyptian lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim

Sem categoria 30/04/2024 Leave a comment

29/04/24

MENA Rights Group joins 15+ civil society organisations in urging Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release lawyer and human rights defender Hoda Abdel Moneim who has been arbitrarily detained for more than 2,000 days.

The undersigned human rights organizations and the FreeHoda Campaign condemn the prolonged arbitrary detention of lawyer and human rights defender Hoda Abdel Moneim for more than 2,000 days. Following the completion of her previous sentence, which was based on falsified charges, the public prosecution has continued to unlawfully detain Abdel Moniem by ‘ reissuing similar fabricated charges against her, also known as ‘recycling’ her charges. The undersigned organizations and the FreeHoda campaign demand her immediate release from arbitrary detention, especially  due to her deteriorating health in prison.

On 22 April 2024, Hoda Abdel Moneim marked 2,000 days of arbitrary detention. On 31 October 2023, Abdel Moneim completed a 5-year prison sentence issued by the Emergency State Security Court, on the basis of falsified charges.This was in Case No. 1552 of 2018 Supreme State Security Emergency, the ‘Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms case’. Defendants in the case faced what United Nations experts described as an unfair trial which was marred by numerous due process violations.

On the last day of her sentence, 31 October 2023, as she was imminently awaiting release, Abdel Moneim was shocked that she was placed (recycled) under a new case, no. 730 of 2020, facing the same two charges that she had faced in Case No. 1552 of 2018. She was once again charged with joining a terrorist group – the same charge for which the Emergency State Security Court had issued the 5-year prison sentence on 5 March 2023 –  and was charged a second time with committing a terrorism financing crime, despite being acquitted of the same charge by the Emergency Court.

According to the new case, she committed these two crimes while held in solitary confinement under the supervision and control of the prison administration. The ‘recycling’ of Hoda Abdel Moneim into a new case with  the same charges violates the provision that, “A person may not be tried under the same charges for which he has been previously tried and punished,” according to Article 101 of Proof law, and Article 116 Pleadings in Egyptian law.

[…]

https://menarights.org/en/articles/ngos-renew-their-call-release-egyptian-lawyer-and-human-rights-defender-hoda-abdel-moneim

https://www.cfjustice.org/egypt-2000-days-of-arbitrary-detention-for-human-rights-defender-hoda-abdel-moneim

Egypt: 2,000 days of arbitrary detention for human rights defender Hoda Abdel-Moneim
https://srdefenders.org/egypt-enforced-disappearance-and-use-of-repeated-charges-against-hrds-hoda-abdel-moneim-and-moaaz-al-sharqawy-joint-communication

https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=28706

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoda_Abdel_Moneim

https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/human-rights-lawyer-hoda-abdul-moenem-aziz-arbitrarily-detained-amidst-wave-arrests

https://menarights.org/ar/articles/almnzmat-ghyr-alhkwmyt-tjdd-dwtha-llafraj-n-almhamyt-almsryt-hdy-bd-almnm (ARABIC)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoda_Abdul_Moneim (FRANCAIS)

Egypt: Free rights lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim on her 65th birthday

Sem categoria 26/01/2024 Leave a comment

25/01/24

The Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR) and global civil society alliance CIVICUS call on Egypt to immediately free human rights lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim from prison ahead of her 65th birthday on Sunday January 28.

Abdel Moneim has spent the last five years behind bars following a 2018 arrest on false charges. She was due for release in November 2023, but authorities added new charges against her instead.

“Human rights lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim is an innocent, elderly woman suffering severe health conditions,” said Ahmed Attalla, the Executive Director of EFHR. “As her 65th birthday approaches, Egyptian authorities should show compassion and release her to her family. Her continued detention after the completion of her prison term is clear evidence of the Egyptian authorities’ hostility towards the human rights movement.”

Abdel Moneim served on Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights, and has held several other positions, including spokesperson for the Women’s Revolutionary Coalition of Egypt, an Islamist group that opposed the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi. CIVICUS profiles Hoda Abdel Moneim as part of the Stand As My Witness campaign, which advocates for the release of jailed activists and human rights defenders worldwide.

Security agents arrested Abdel Moneim on November 1, 2018. They burst into her home at 1:30am, ransacked the house, blindfolded her, and put her in their vehicle before holding her incommunicado for three weeks. They gave no warrant or reason for her arrest.

The Supreme State Security Prosecution eventually charged Hoda Abdel Moneim with joining and funding a terrorist organization and incitement to harm the national economy and other alleged offences under Egypt’s anti-terrorism law and penal code.

After an unfair trial full of irregularities, a court convicted Abdel Moneim of most charges. It sentenced her to five years in prison plus another five years of supervised parole where she would spend every night at the police station. But authorities continued detaining her under a new case after the prison term ended.

[…]

https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/6805-egypt-free-human-rights-lawyer-hoda-abdel-moneim-on-her-65th-birthday

Click to access MDE1276292024ENGLISH-2.pdf

EGYPT: Free human rights lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim on her 65th birthday

https://www.cfjustice.org/egypt-cfj-denounces-deliberate-measures-against-human-rights-defender-and-lawyer-hoda-abdel-moneim/

https://www.cfjustice.org/egypt-human-rights-lawyer-to-remain-in-detention-pending-new-case-after-end-of-sentence/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoda_Abdel_Moneim

China/Iran/Turkey/Belarus/Egypt etc: Journalists’ lawyers face retaliation around the globe

Sem categoria 13/10/2023 Leave a comment

12/10/23

The smears began the day Christian Ulate began representing jailed Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora: tweets accusing the lawyer of being a leftist or questioning his legal credentials. He began to fear he was being surveilled. 

Ulate had taken over the case in August 2022 from two other lawyers, Romeo Montoya García and Mario Castañeda, after the prosecutor in Zamora’s case announced that they were under investigation. After less than three months of representing Zamora, Ulate left Guatemala for a trip to Honduras. The attacks, he said, stopped abruptly.

Looking back, Ulate believes the harassment was part of a clear pattern. Other lawyers who would go on to represent Zamora — there were 10 in total by the time of the journalist’s June conviction on money laundering charges widely considered to be retaliation for his work — were harassed, investigated, or even jailed. 

“We knew that the system was against us, and that everything we, the legal team, did around the case was being closely scrutinized,” Ulate told CPJ. 

Zamora’s experience retaining legal counsel, while extreme, is hardly unique. CPJ has identified lawyers of journalists under threat in Iran, China, Belarus, Turkey, and Egypt, countries that are among the world’s worst jailers of journalists. To be sure, lawyers are not just targeted for representing journalists. “Globally lawyers are increasingly criminalized or disciplined for taking on sensitive cases or speaking publicly on rule of law, human rights, and good governance issues,” said Ginna Anderson, the associate director of the American Bar Association, which monitors global conditions for legal professionals. 

But lawyers and human rights advocates told CPJ that when a lawyer is harassed for representing a journalist, the threats can have chilling effects on the free flow of information. Inevitably, journalists unable to defend themselves against retaliatory charges are more likely to be jailed – leaving citizens less likely to be informed of matters of public interest.  

A barometer of civil liberties 

Attacks on the legal profession – like attacks on journalists – can be a barometer of civil liberties in a country, legal experts told CPJ. Hong Kong, once viewed as a safe harbor for independent journalists, is one such example. The territory has seen multiple members of the press prosecuted under Beijing’s 2020 national security law, including media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, who faces life imprisonment. Lai, a British citizen, is represented by both U.K. and Hong Kong legal teams, which work independently of each other, and both have faced pressure.

[…]

Tipping the scales: Journalists’ lawyers face retaliation around the globe

Egypt: Arrests among Tantawi’s presidential campaign rise to 73, including four lawyers

Sem categoria 28/09/2023 Leave a comment

26/09/23

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) said the security crackdown led by the National Security Sector (NSS) and backed by the Supreme State Security Prosecution against volunteers in the campaign of presidential hopeful and former MP Ahmed Tantawi has intensified, with at least 73 campaign members detained from more than half of Egypt’s governorates. 

EIPR revealed that at least four lawyers from three different governorates were among those arrested for joining or supporting Tantawi’s campaign. The Bar Association participated in defending them before the State Security Prosecution. These four are Sayed Mohamed Hussein Khadr, Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Sayed, Mohamed Ali Abdel Qader Ebada, and Abdel Galil Mahmoud Sherbini Ibrahim.

The organization added that seven of the detainees were still held in detention as of yesterday despite the fact that the State Security Prosecution issued a decision on 20 September to release them on bail of five thousand pounds each and their families and lawyers paid the bail six days ago. EIPR calls on the Public Prosecutor to intervene immediately to ensure the implementation of the decisions issued by his office.

The detained volunteers were arrested in connection to charges of joining a subversive or terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media. EIPR lawyers who attended the sessions of interrogation and renewal of detention confirmed that most of the detainees were arrested or summoned to National Security offices in their governorates and interrogated simply for filling out volunteer forms in Tantawi’s presidential campaign, while others just liked the campaign’s Facebook page.

EIPR once again held the National Election Authority and the Public Prosecutor’s office responsible for this security crackdown that violates the constitution and the law. It called on them to intervene urgently to protect the right of all citizens to political participation.

https://eipr.org/en/press/2023/09/arrests-among-tantawis-presidential-campaign-workers-rise-73-including-four-lawyers

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-elections-sisi-rival-volunteers-detained

Egypt elections: Dozens of campaign volunteers of Sisi rival captured

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Tantawi

https://x.com/EIPR/status/1706665910420017614?s=20

https://x.com/EIPR/status/1706601040114532673?s=20

https://x.com/ahmediaTV/status/1706958216930709885?s=20

Award-winning activist Mahienour El-Masry sues Egypt’s chief prosecutors over travel ban

Sem categoria 11/08/2023 Leave a comment

10/08/23

The Egyptian regime has been known for using excessive and arbitrary travel bans against activists, academics and intellectuals since the military coup led by the then-defence minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi overthrew Morsi in July 2013.

Long-time award-winning human rights defender Mahienour El-Massry has recently filed an urgent lawsuit against both the prosecutor-general and the state security attorney-general, demanding an official document that proves her freedom of movement.

“The lawsuit calls for terminating an earlier decision that denied [Masry] the right to acquire an official document detailing the duration of her pre-trial detention and whether she is banned from travelling outside the country,” said prominent rights lawyer Khaled Ali, who represents her, in a statement on Wednesday.

Masry, a prominent rights lawyer, was released in 2021 after spending about two years in pre-trial detention.

She was detained right after attending judicial investigations into protesters arrested during rare protests against President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in September 2019 that called for departure.   

Since 2013, Masry has been tried and jailed three. While serving time in 2014, she was granted The Ludovic Trarieux Award.

[…]

https://www.newarab.com/news/activist-mahienour-el-masry-sues-egypts-chief-prosecutors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahienour_El-Massry

https://www.middleeasteye.net/fr/actu-et-enquetes/egypte-repression-pire-decennie-droits-humains-prison-justice-censure-sissi (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahienour_Al-Massry

Egypt: Left in a coma for days, imprisoned Egyptian lawyer dies

Sem categoria 30/06/2023 Leave a comment

29/06/23

Rights groups say Ali Abbas Barakat, who had Hepatitis C, died from medical neglect.

An imprisoned Egyptian lawyer and human rights defender was in a coma for two days before he was transferred to an intensive care unit where he died earlier this month, human rights groups told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper.

Ali Abbas Barakat had been in prison since 2016. He had been convicted in multiple court cases, but had appealed and been acquitted on each account, including his latest acquittal in May 2022.

On 17 June last year he was transferred from prison to a police station in preparation for his release, but instead, he disappeared. On 7 July, he reappeared at the Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo where he was accused of joining a terrorist group. 

Lawyers supporting Barakat have said he was tortured during his period of disappearance and have demanded an investigation into his detention and disappearance which they say was without any legal basis.

Earlier this month, the newspaper reported that Barakat, whose health had deterorated as a result of a Hepatitis C infection, felt very tired and was left inside his cell without medical treatment. His family was prevented from checking on or visiting him.

On 10 June, his wife told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, he fell into a coma and was transferred in an unconscious state to Badr Prison Hospital near Cairo where he died. 

[…]

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-imprisoned-lawyer-dies-medical-negligence-arabic-press-review

Egypt: On Int’l day of victims of torture, man and his son terrorized, assaulted and arrested

Egypt: Security forces arrest Neama Hesham, wife of imprisoned rights lawyer Mohamed El Baqer

Sem categoria 17/04/2023 Leave a comment

17/04/23

In a serious escalation to the violence against activists and HRDs held in Badr 1 prison, security forces this morning arrested Mrs. Neamatallah Hesham, wife of human rights lawyers and political prisoner Mohamed El Baqer from her home. Her whereabouts remain unknown until the time of releasing this statement.

The signatories to this statement call for the immediate release of Mrs. Neama Hisham, who did not commit a crime, but sought help from the violence that her husband has been subjected to by the Badr Prison 1 administration, after she saw him during the visit yesterday injured in the mouth, ribs and wrist as a result of the assault he and his cellmates suffered.

The undersigned organizations also condemn the incidents of beating and ill-treatment to which prisoners in Badr 1 prison were subjected (political activist Ahmed Doma, human rights lawyer Muhammad al-Baqer, journalist Muhammad Oxygen, and political activist Hamid Siddiq), at the hands of the Badr 1 prison administration, and demand the opening of a speedy official and independent investigation in these incidents and attacks, investigation of the  warden of Badr 1 prison, and the formation of an independent committee of jurists and civil society organizations to examine the conditions in Badr prisons and to clarify the validity of what is reported about the practices of torture and collective abuse. The organizations also call on the Public Prosecutor to quickly investigate the communication submitted to him by the lawyer of the family of Muhammad Al-Baqer (No. 385866).

The events of the incident date back to Monday, April 10, 2023, when detainee, Hamid Siddiq, refused to leave his cell to go to a detention renewal session, citing his poor psychological state due to the recent death of his wife and his rotation on a new case after the legal period of pre-trial detention had expired. Then, the prison warden, using an antiriot force, forcefully pulled him out of his cell, beat him with clubs and kicked him in the face with their shoes, and ordered his transfer to a disciplinary cell, wrapped in a blanket. Muhammad Oxygen intervened, trying to prevent the attack on a friend, and asked for help from Ahmed Doma and the neighboring cells in the ward, but the warden assaulted them and gagged their mouths with a piece of cloth, which, according to Al-Baqer’s wife, led to a prominent injury in his wrist and mouth, in addition to the injury of Muhammad Oxygen in the neck and ribs, and transferred all of them to disciplinary cells with nothing on but their underwear. They were kept there throughout the day without food, drink, or medication until Wednesday morning, when they were allowed to bring in some medicines, bottles of water, and one loaf of bread with a small piece of cheese. On Thursday, Baqer, Oxygen, and Hamid Siddiq were returned to the prison ward, but in separate solitary cells and without any of their belongings, in addition to depriving them of exercise and time out of the cell.

[…]

After the attack on activists and HRDs by the Badr 1 prison administration: Security forces arrest Neama Hesham from her home in today’s hours
Egypt: Wife of detained and tortured human rights lawyer arrested
After the attack on activists and HRDs by the Badr 1 prison administration Security forces arrest Neama Hesham from her home in the today’s hours

https://eg.usembassy.gov/egypt-2022-human-rights-report/

https://www.cfjustice.org/committee-for-justice-participates-in-a-symposium-on-torture-and-impunity-in-egypt/

https://www.dw.com/en/egypt-alaa-abdel-fattahs-sister-re-starts-freealaa-campaign-after-cop27-silence/a-65023873

https://freedomhouse.org/article/joint-letter-ngos-call-secretary-blinken-urge-egypt-withdraw-its-upcoming-ngo-registration

Click to access EN_HRL_20230420_Egypt_Continued-detention-of-lawyer-Mohamed-el-Baqer-and-arrest-of-his-wife.pdf

attacks-on-lawyers-country-list-april-15-2023Download
بعد الاعتداء على نشطاء وحقوقيين على يد إدارة سجن بدر 1 قوات الأمن تعتقل السيدة نعمة هشام من منزلها فجر اليوم
(ARABIC)

https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2023/04/17/egipto-arresta-a-la-esposa-de-un-destacado-abogado-encarcelado-denuncian-ong/ (ESPANOL)

Challenges of Being a Minority Lawyer in Egypt

Sem categoria 01/02/2023 Leave a comment

31/01/23

Since 2014, Egyptian lawyers defending minorities against unjust prosecution have been facing increasing difficulties in doing their jobs. This is especially the case when lawyers themselves belong to religious minority groups or are women who do not conform to social norms. Tackling this topic is of paramount importance, as social justice cannot be achieved if human rights lawyers cannot do their work without being harassed and threatened by authorities. 

There are several reasons and political events that could explain why Egyptian lawyers—especially those involved in cases involving religious and gender minorities—have been facing worsening work conditions. There has been a clear erosion of the role of the lawyers’ syndicate in protecting and defending lawyers’ rights. Indeed, since 2014, the security forces’ influence over the syndicate has been more evident, as the latter has lost its independence and lawyers stopped having the same immunity and the feeling of safety in defending their clients. As a result, hundreds of lawyers have faced prosecution, asset freezes, and travel bans in the last five years. In 2021 alone, there were 80 human rights lawyers in prison, as the crackdown continues.

Egypt has a great history of human rights lawyers who were able to use the law to defend leftist and Islamic organizations. It was easy to find a lawyer to defend clients’ rights in courts and police stations, without lawyers fearing for their safety or freedom. And lawyers obtained acquittals, as the judiciary was more independent. Since 2014, however, the modern Egyptian state has worked diligently to restrict the independence and transparency of the judiciary and the prosecution offices. Lawyers have been marginalized and their role has been reduced in political issues of a religious or gender-based nature. Lawyers have a hard time obtaining acquittals or properly defending their clients. The number of political prisoners in Egyptian prisons is increasing, and many prisoners stay in pre-trial detention for two years before being charged with new offenses to renew their pre-trial detention. In addition, there has been an unprecedented number of death penalties in the last few years, a worrisome sign highlighting the changes in the judiciary system.

Another issue that human rights lawyers face is that not all of them are treated the same. Well-known lawyers who are affiliated with known figures of the opposition are treated with more respect than their peers who are still new in the field; they are allowed to get into court buildings without hassle, in addition to being able to access their case files. Meanwhile, tens of lawyers find themselves prevented from entering courtrooms and are under constant threat of being arrested. Minority lawyers have even received calls from the state security offices threatening them with detention if they publicly share any details about ill treatment their clients face during detention. 

[…]

https://timep.org/commentary/analysis/challenges-of-being-a-minority-lawyer-in-egypt/

https://www.cfjustice.org/international-day-of-the-endangered-lawyer-egypts-legal-professionals-continue-to-suffer/

https://raseef22.net/english/article/1091642-remembering-egypts-heroes-on-the-eve-of-the-january-revolution

https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/16/egypt-detentions-repression-follow-protest-calls

https://mondafrique.com/repression-egypte-1-la-mort-lente-dibrahim-matwally-lavocat-des-disparus/ (FRANCAIS)

Six Egyptian lawyers freed from jail, ending nationwide union boycott

Sem categoria 25/01/2023 Leave a comment

22/01/23

Six Egyptian lawyers were released from incarceration on Sunday after being arrested late last week for assaulting three court workers in the Mediterranean city of Marsa Matrouh.

A criminal court sentenced each of the lawyers to two years in prison on Wednesday for the assault.

The lawyers’ imprisonment was answered with a Criminal Court boycott by the union to which they belong.

All lawyers were told to stay away from courts and to not respond to questions from prosecutors.

On Sunday, a Marsa Matrouh appeals court overturned Wednesday’s verdict and scheduled another hearing for February 5.

After the lawyers’ release, union president Abdel Halim Allam issued a statement ending the boycott.

Sunday’s court session was attended by hundreds of union lawyers to show solidarity with their imprisoned colleagues.

After the six men’s release, social media videos showed lawyers celebrating outside the court where the hearing took place.

A committee of union lawyers took the stand to defend the imprisoned men on Sunday. It was led by Allam.

One of the lawyers reportedly got into an argument with a court worker at a Marsa Matrouh court on January 5.

The situation worsened when five of his colleagues joined him in attacking the worker, who called on two of his friends for aid.

After hearing that court employees had been injured, a judge at the court submitted a formal complaint to a higher judicial authority, which ordered the lawyers’ arrest.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/egypt/2023/01/22/six-laywers-released-from-jail-after-nationwide-union-boycott/

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-lawyers-end-strike-released-court-brawl

Egypt: Under pressure from striking lawyers, regime releases jailed attorneys
Egypt lawyers end strike after colleagues released

https://www.rfi.fr/fr/moyen-orient/20230123-%C3%A9gypte-les-avocats-mettent-fin-%C3%A0-la-gr%C3%A8ve-nationale-apr%C3%A8s-leur-victoire (FRANCAIS)

https://www.rtl.be/actu/belgique/faits-divers/egypte-fin-de-la-greve-des-avocats-apres-la-liberation-de-leurs-confreres/2023-01-22/article/518612

https://www.africaradio.com/egypte-fin-de-la-greve-des-avocats-apres-la-liberation-de-leurs-confreres

Egypt: lawyers strike to protest the imprisonment of six colleagues

Sem categoria 20/01/2023 Leave a comment

19/01/23

The Egyptian Bar Association announced Thursday an “indefinite” strike to protest the imprisonment of six colleagues for a brawl with clerks earlier this month.

“We immediately suspend all our activities, we will stop appearing in court and participating in the investigations of the prosecution from January 19 and for an unlimited period,” the lawyers announced on their union’s website.

On Wednesday, the criminal court of Marsa Matrouh (north-west) sentenced six lawyers to two years in prison following a brawl between them and three court clerks in the coastal city on January 5, according to the state-owned daily al-Ahram.

The Egyptian lawyers believe that there was “a clear intention to keep their colleagues in custody without real justification” and denounce a “rush to bring them to trial without taking the time to conduct a real investigation”, according to the statement of their union.

The lawyers of the six convicts have appealed the decision and the court is expected to consider their request on Sunday.

In December, thousands of Egyptian lawyers demonstrated outside their union’s headquarters in central Cairo – an unusual occurrence in a country where public demonstrations are banned – to protest a new electronic billing system introduced by the Ministry of Finance.

https://www.africanews.com/2023/01/19/egypt-lawyers-strike-to-protest-the-imprisonment-of-six-colleagues/

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/1233/484634/Egypt/Courts–Law/Egyptian-Lawyers-Syndicate-forms-legal-team-to-def.aspx

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/01/19/Egypt-s-lawyers-on-unlimited-strike-after-attorneys-jailed-for-brawl

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/484565/Egypt/UPDATED-Egypt-Lawyers-Syndicate-declares-strike-to.aspx

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1325099/egypts-lawyers-strike-after-attorneys-jailed-for-brawl.html

https://www.arabnews.fr/node/337936/monde-arabe (FRANCAIS)