Tag Archives: Prix Martin Ennals

China: Imprisoned Chinese rights lawyer in poor health: wife

19/01/21

Cheng y sus compañeros Li Yongze y Wu Gejianxiong fueron arrestados el 22 de julio de 2019 y sus familias no han vuelto a verles. (EFE)

A Chinese lawyer nominated for a top human rights award is in poor health after years in prison, his wife told AFP Tuesday.

Yu Wensheng was detained in Beijing in January 2018 in front of his young son just hours after he wrote an open letter calling for constitutional reforms, including multi-candidate elections.

He was tried in secret and sentenced to four years in prison last June for “inciting subversion of state power”.

“His physical state is very poor. His right hand is deformed and trembles so much that he cannot write,” his wife Xu Yan told AFP.

Yu was nominated Monday for the Martin Ennals Award, which organisers hope will shine a light on abuses in authoritarian states.

Xu said her husband’s nomination “not only supports and honours (him), but is also an encouragement and affirmation to other human rights lawyers and defenders”.

China has seen a dramatic crackdown on civil liberties and freedoms since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, with hundreds of human rights lawyers and activists detained in recent years.

Yu was known for taking on a number of high-profile rights cases, including the defence of fellow lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who was among more than 300 legal professionals and activists arrested in a July 2015 crackdown.

He also became well known for suing the Beijing government for the city’s chronic air pollution.

Yu’s defence lawyer Lu Siwei had his legal license revoked by authorities last week after handling several sensitive human rights cases.

[…]

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210119-imprisoned-chinese-rights-lawyer-in-poor-health-wife

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3118366/chinese-human-rights-lawyer-yu-wensheng-poor-health-after-years

https://www.rfi.fr/en/imprisoned-chinese-rights-lawyer-in-poor-health-wife

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/person-01152021112754.html

https://hk.appledaily.com/news/20210115/TWFYAK5DXRA4VIAEKMPOC5ET7U/

https://www.geneve.ch/en/actualites/martin-ennals-award-finalists-2021-shine-light-abuses-authoritarian-states

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

https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/China-strips-license-of-lawyer-for-Hong-Kong-15873682.php

https://information.tv5monde.com/info/droits-humains-une-photographe-un-avocat-et-une-militante-des-droits-des-femmes-l-honneur (FRANCAIS)

https://www.nouvelobs.com/societe/20210119.AFP4578/droits-humains-une-photographe-un-avocat-et-une-militante-des-droits-des-femmes-a-l-honneur.html

https://www.letemps.ch/monde/yu-wensheng-lavocat-defie-xi-jinping

https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/premio-d-humanos_activistas-de-china–a-saud%C3%AD-y-turkmenist%C3%A1n-nominados-al-premio-martin-ennals/46296170 (ESPANOL)

Turkey: Rights lawyer Eren Keskin receives Martin Annals Finalist Award

May 9, 2019

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Human rights activists, diplomats, and the media gathered at at the Human Rights Association (IHD) headquarters in Ankara at a ceremony to present the Martin Ennals Finalist Award to Eren Keskin who is banned from travel. She spoke about the declining human rights situation and noted the importance of international solidarity with the human rights movement in Turkey. The ceremony was widely covered in the Turkish press.

(Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders Facebook, 10/05/19)

Martin Ennals Award Finalist Eren Keskin honoured in Ankara

Eren Keskin

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

https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/gundem/2019/05/09/eren-keskine-martin-ennals-odulu-verildi/ (TURKCE)

http://www.realitehaber.com/2019/05/09/martin-ennals-odulu-alan-keskin-tecrit-kaldirilsin/ (TURKCE)

http://www.diken.com.tr/ozgur-gundem-davasinda-avukat-eren-keskin-ve-gazetecilere-ceza-yagdi/ (TURKCE)

http://www.ville-geneve.ch/actualites/detail/article/1550066758-abdul-aziz-muhamat-recoit-prix-martin-ennals-2019/ (FRANCAIS)

Turkey: Turkey more oppressive than ever – rights activist

January 28, 2019

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Turkey’s anti-democratic mentality has not changed since its foundation, but it has never been as oppressive as today, said award-winning Turkish human rights lawyer Eren Keskin.

Over the years, Keskin played a vital role in strengthening civil society awareness in Turkey. She became involved with the Human Rights Association (IHD) three years after its 1986 founding and headed its Istanbul branch for years.

She has been arrested and imprisoned numerous times, accused of terrorist ties for defending Kurdish rights, and won several international honors for her activism, including the Aachen Peace Award, the Theodore Haecker Prize, and just last year, the Helsinki Civil Society Award.

“Turkey’s undemocratic mentality has not changed since its foundation,” said Keskin. “There is no change in the mind or understanding of the state. I have been part of the struggle for human rights for nearly 30 years. I have not experienced a period in which freedom of thought and freedom of expression have been contravened this much. Turkey is more oppressive today than ever.”

Keskin said she had been brought before the courts more than 100 times and convicted on numerous occasions.

“I see the struggle for the defence of human rights as respect for those who have died. It is out of respect for them that I am part of the struggle for human rights,” she said. “We experienced a lot of pressure, but our friends were killed. They were killed fighting for human dignity. I am lucky to be alive…I was assaulted twice with firearms, imprisoned and threatened with death, but never gave up.”

https://ahvalnews.com/human-rights/turkey-more-oppressive-ever-rights-activist

Martin Ennals Award 2019

Eren Keskin

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Eren Keskin, MEA nominee 2019, speaks out fearlessly: Turkey more oppressive today than ever

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge-on-international-court-quits-over-alleged-interference-from-turkey-and-the-white-house

https://ahvalnews.com/human-rights/call-international-action-lawyer-even-keskin

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

https://www.demokrathaber.org/guncel/eren-keskin-e-basbakanlik-karari-yla-pasaport-yasagi-h112241.html (TURKCE)

https://www.evrensel.net/haber/371691/ozgur-gundem-davasi-7-mayisa-ertelendi (TURKCE)

https://ahvalnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/ahvalnews.com/tr/node/37741?amp (TURKCE)

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turkiye/1225007/41_avukata_2_yila_kadar_hapis_istemi.html?fbclid=IwAR1aBwJ3NBobJU8K15uGUYLDL7BmNMzdZiAyQb2IchCY9e9urLlJdpTfim8 (TURKCE)

https://www.barreaudeparis.tv/embed/378 (FRANCAIS)

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

https://anfdeutsch.com/menschenrechte/ai-kampagne-fuer-eren-keskin-9197 (DEUTSCH)

https://twitter.com/IhsanIkurt/status/1090009831254224896

Egypt/Turkey: Human rights advocates under threat worldwide

December 10, 2017

Mohamed Zaree (picture alliance/AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

“It’s very difficult trying to hide where I’m going from my kids, and trying to make my mom feel that everything will be fine – with them knowing I’m lying,” Egyptian human rights lawyer Mohamed Zaree, looking visibly tense, told a TV reporter on May 23, 2017, one day prior to his court hearing in Cairo. The authorities have alleged that Zaree represents a security threat and that he has tarnished his country’s reputation.

“These charges could put me in jail for 25 years,” Zaree explained. And added: “My kids will grow up without me. I’m concerned about all of this; there are so many things on my mind.”

The following day, Zaree was released on bail. But the charges against him have not been dropped. During his time as the Egypt office director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Mohamed Zaree co-authored a 2014 report on the country’s human rights situation. UN member states are expected to regularly produce such “Universal Periodic Reviews” and submit them to the United Nations Human Rights Council to help assess human rights situations in each country.

Protective human rights awards

This year, Mohamed Zaree won the Martin Ennals Award — a prize that is sometimes referred to as the “Nobel Prize for human rights”.

http://www.dw.com/en/human-rights-advocates-under-threat-worldwide/a-41728317

Mohamed Zaree

Egypt/Prix Martin Ennals: Egypte: Mohamed Zaree,lauréat du «Nobel des droits de l’Homme», risque la prison

October 13, 2017

Mohamed Zaree

Le juriste Mohamed Zaree, fervent défenseur des libertés d’expression en Egypte, a remporté le 10 octobre 2017 le prix Martin Ennals, l’une des plus prestigieuses récompenses dans le domaine des droits de l’Homme. Le lauréat n’a pas été autorisé à se rendre à Genève pour recevoir sa distinction.

Mohamed Zaree, directeur du bureau égyptien de l’Institut du Caire pour les études sur les droits humains (CIHRS), n’a pas le droit de quitter le territoire égyptien depuis mai 2016. L’activiste égyptien est sous le coup d’une enquête judiciaire qui pourrait lui valoir une lourde peine. «Les chefs d’inculpation dont je fais l’objet suffiraient à m’envoyer en prison pour 25 ans», explique-t-il dans une vidéo diffusée lors de la remise du prix Martin Ennals. C’est sa femme qui a fait le déplacement en Suisse pour réceptionner le prix décerné par une dizaine d’organisations internationales comme Amnesty ou Human Rights Watch.

Les ONG sous pression 
Mohamed Zaree, 34 ans, est accusé de bénéficier de fonds étrangers. Sous la pression des autorités, le siège de son organisation de défense des droits de l’Homme a été transféré à Tunis en 2014. L’activiste égyptien a choisi de rester dans le pays pour mener le combat de la liberté malgré les menaces de mort et les intimidations. Une nouvelle loi promulguée en mai 2017 par le président égyptien Abdel Fattah al-Sissi impose des restrictions sans précédent aux ONG.

http://geopolis.francetvinfo.fr/egypte-mohamed-zareelaureat-du-nobel-des-droits-de-l-homme-risque-la-prison-163799

https://www.amnesty.fr/liberte-d-expression/actualites/mohamed-zaree-prix-martin-ennals-pour-les-defenseurs-2017

https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/press-release/mohamed-zaree-selected-2017-laureate-martin-ennals-award-human-rights-defenders

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/human-rights/events/article/human-rights-bestowal-of-martin-ennals-award-10-10-17 (ENGLISH)

http://www.martinennalsaward.org/hrd/mohamed-zaree/ (ENGLISH)

Egypt/Martin Ennals Human Rights Award: Mohamed Zaree, facing life imprisonment in Egypt, wins Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders

October 10, 2017

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) proudly announces that the director of its Egypt office, Mohamed Zaree, is the recipient of the 2017 Martin Ennals Award, a prestigious international award for human rights defenders from the Martin Ennals Foundation.  The award is dedicated to prominent human rights defenders who face great personal risks and dangers. Zaree emphasized that he viewed this honor not as a recognition of his work alone, but as a “recognition of the tens of thousands of Egyptian citizens who have been tortured, imprisoned, disappeared or killed over the last 6 years. Killed for nothing more than standing up to corruption and tyranny through peaceful means.”

Zaree was one of three finalists, along with Karla Avelar (El Salvador) and Free the 5 Defenders (Cambodia), selected in April from among hundreds of human rights defenders around the world. Today, October 10, 2017, at the awards ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the panel of ten judges representing major human rights organizations around the world,[1]announced it had chosen Zaree as this year’s laureate. Zaree could not attend the ceremony due to a travel ban from the Egyptian authorities.

The award was granted in recognition of Zaree’s leading role in advocating for the freedom of association and expression and his coordination of joint action among independent Egyptian rights organizations. Zaree risks life imprisonment and has been banned from travel, while the assets of the his Egypt office as well as those of CIHRS director Bahey eldin Hassan  have been frozen. Kate Gilmore, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, gave the award to Zaree’s family, who accepted it on his behalf.

http://www.cihrs.org/?p=20395&lang=en

2017 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders goes to Mohamed Zaree

Egyptian Human Rights Defender Wins Martin Ennals Award

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2017/10/11/egyptian-legal-scholar-wins-top-rights-prize

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/adhoc-5-passed-over-award

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2017/10/09/Meet-Mohamed-Zaree-the-Egyptian-civil-rights-defender-whose-team-was-instrumental-in-protecting-an-American-aid-worker/stories/201710090157

http://nationalpost.com/g00/pmn/news-pmn/major-human-rights-award-goes-to-egyptian-facing-prosecution?i10c.encReferrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmZyLw%3D%3D

http://kdwn.com/2017/10/10/major-human-rights-award-goes-to-egyptian-facing-prosecution/

http://time.com/4977251/egyptian-human-rights-award-travel-ban/

Egyptian lawyer banned from travel wins prestigious rights defenders award

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/human-rights-award-goes-egyptian-activist-banned-travel-1430291446

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49553:international-award-for-egyptian-activist&catid=56:diplomacy-a-peace&Itemid=111

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/2017-martin-ennals-award-human-rights-defenders-goes-mohamed-zaree

http://www.omct.org/human-rights-defenders/statements/2017/10/d24571/

http://www.gc4hr.org/news/view/1705

https://www.themaven.net/humanrightsfoundation/middle-east/egyptian-activist-receives-a-top-human-rights-award-72jb9MBp-EmhlEoQNhCfBA

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Click to access Egypt-MEA-Finalists-2017-MZaree-Bio-2017-ENG.pdf

https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/prix-martin-ennals–le-militant-%C3%A9gyptien-mohamed-zaree-r%C3%A9compens%C3%A9/43585756 (FRANCAIS)

https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/droits-humains_en-egypte–comme-ailleurs–les-d%C3%A9fenseurs-des-libert%C3%A9s-sont-lentement-asphyxi%C3%A9s/43585592 (FRANCAIS)

http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/droits-de-l-homme-un-juriste-egyptien-remporte-le-prix-martin-ennals-960489.aspx (FRANCAIS)

http://fr.africatime.com/egypte/articles/droits-de-lhomme-un-juriste-egyptien-remporte-le-prix-martin-ennals (FRANCAIS)

https://www.fidh.org/fr/themes/defenseurs-des-droits-humains/mohamed-zare-remporte-le-prix-martin-ennals-pour-les-defenseur-e-s (FRANCAIS)

https://www.amnesty.fr/presse/mohamed-zaree-remporte-le-prix-martin-ennals-pour- (FRANCAIS)

https://m.lecourrier.ch/153348/l_egyptien_mohamed_zaree_recompense (FRANCAIS)
https://www.alhurra.com/a/egyptian-martin-ennals/396681.html (ARABIC)

http://www.gc4hr.org/news/view/1706 (ARABIC)

http://www.memleket.com.tr/misirli-insan-haklari-aktivistine-martin-ennals-odulu-1232007h.htm (TURKCE)

http://lepersoneeladignita.corriere.it/2017/10/11/il-premio-martin-ennals-al-difensore-dei-diritti-umani-egiziano-mohamed-zaree/ (ITALIANO)

https://www.24matins.de/topnews/pol/aegyptischer-jurist-und-menschenrechtler-saree-erhaelt-martin-ennals-preis-54393 (DEUTSCH)

https://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/menschenrechtspreis_das-langsame-sterben-der-aegyptischen-menschenrechtler/43587808 (DEUTSCH)

https://www.dn.pt/lusa/interior/advogado-egipcio-mohamed-zaree-recebe-premio-de-direitos-humanos-martin-ennals-8832987.html(PORTUGUES)

https://khmer.voanews.com/a/adhoc-activists-awarded-martin-ennals-prize/4064548.html (KHMER)

Egypt/Martin Ennals Human Rights Award: 2017 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders goes to Egyptian activist Mohamed Zaree

October 10, 2017

Selected by a jury of 10 global human rights organizations, including the ICJ, Mohamed Zaree is a devoted human rights activist and legal scholar whose work focuses on human rights advocacy around freedom of expression and association.

Mohamed Zaree is also known for his role as the Egypt Country Director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), which works throughout the Arabic speaking world.

He assumed this role after government pressure on CIHRS prompted them to relocate their headquarters to Tunis in 2014.

The Egyptian government has been escalating its pressure on the human rights movement.

Human rights NGOs and defenders are confronted with a growing wave of threats, harassment, and intimidation, legal and otherwise.

Despite this, Mohamed Zaree is leading CIHRS’ research, human rights education, and national advocacy initiatives in Egypt and is shaping the media debate on human rights issues.

During this critical period for civil society, he is also leading the Forum of Independent Egyptian Human Rights NGOs, a network aiming to unify human rights groups in advocacy.

Zaree’s initiatives have helped NGOs to develop common approaches to human rights issues in Egypt.

2017 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders goes to Egyptian activist Mohamed Zaree

https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/press-release/mohamed-zaree-selected-2017-laureate-martin-ennals-award-human-rights-defenders

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-4967076/Major-human-rights-award-goes-Egyptian-facing-prosecution.html

2017 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders goes to Mohamed Zaree

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2017/Oct-10/422207-major-human-rights-award-goes-to-egyptian-facing-prosecution.ashx

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/egyptian-legal-scholar-wins-top-rights-prize-165320789.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-4967226/Egyptian-legal-scholar-wins-rights-prize.html

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-egypt-rights/egyptian-activist-wins-international-human-rights-award-idUKKBN1CF2F5

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/10/10/2017/Egyptian-activist-wins-international-human-rights-award

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/10/10/major-human-rights-award-goes-to-egyptian-facing-prosecution.html

http://en.prothom-alo.com/international/news/162571/Egyptian-legal-scholar-wins-top-rights-prize

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-10-10/egyptian-activist-wins-international-human-rights-award

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/major-human-rights-award-egyptian-facing-prosecution-50393511

http://www.chieftain.com/news/human-rights-honor-goes-to-egyptian-banned-from-travel/article_e3ac451b-65f4-54eb-aa67-d820223c64b3.html

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/10/10/2017/Egyptian-activist-wins-international-human-rights-award

http://gazette.com/major-human-rights-award-goes-to-egyptian-facing-prosecution/article/feed/500623

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

https://www.amnesty.org/es/latest/news/2017/10/2017-martin-ennals-award-for-human-rights-defenders-goes-to-mohamed-zaree/ (ESPANOL)

Egypt/Martin Ennals Human Rights Prize: Meet the civil rights defender that Egypt doesn’t want you to know about

October 9, 2017

At an awards ceremony on Tuesday in Geneva, dignitaries from the United Nations and the Swiss government, along with diplomats and members of the international human rights community, will come together to recognize the work of human rights defenders worldwide at risk of persecution.

But one seat will be notably empty: that of Mohamed Zaree.

Egyptian activist Zaree is one of three finalists for the prestigious Martin Ennals Award — often called “the Nobel Prize for human rights” for its global scope and recognition. It’s named after Amnesty International’s esteemed former secretary-general.

Zaree will not be present to find out if he has been selected the winner by a jury comprising representatives from 10 leading international rights organizations, including Amnesty and Human Rights Watch. He can’t leave Egypt because he was slapped with a travel ban by the Egyptian government last year.

Still, the 37-year-old activist says he’s very grateful to be nominated for the award, if anything for the extra security it could potentially give him by raising his profile abroad.

“Being recognized in a prestigious award,” Zaree said in an interview with PRI, “this is a kind of protection.”

https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-10-09/meet-civil-rights-defender-egypt-doesn-t-want-you-know-about

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/266587/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-lawyer-Mohamed-Zaree-among-finalists-for-.aspx

Egyptian among Finalists for Worldwide Prestigious Human Rights Award

Martin Ennals Foundation calls on the Egyptian authorities to lift Mohamed Zaree’s travel ban

This year’s Martin Ennals Award ceremony is today!
Join us at 6PM, Uni Dufour, at Auditorium Jean Piaget (U-600). Meet the finalists or their representants, learn about their work, and contribute to their protection! The ceremony is open to public and the entry is free.

You are not in Geneva? Don’t worry, you can follow the live streaming right here on our Facebook page.

Show your support: come to the ceremony or watch our Facebook live, leave a comment or a like.

Each year, the jury of 10 International Human Rights NGOs selects the Laureate of the Martin Ennals Award. This award provides the finalists and laureates protective publicity to continue their work, as well as opens doors to high level discussion on human rights.

The annual ceremony takes place in Geneva, in October, in association with the City of Geneva.

The Martin Ennals Award takes its name from Martin Ennals, Secretary General of Amnesty International between 1968 and 1980. He was active in the creation of HURIDOCS, SOS Torture (later called the World Organisation Against Torture), Defense for Children International, Article 19, and finally International Alert.

(Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders Facebook)

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Egypt: Découvrez un de nos 3 finalistes pour le Prix Martin Ennals 2017: Mohamed Zaree

le 6 septembre, 2017

Mohamed Zaree lutte contre les lois limitant les ONG qui travaillent sur les droits humains, notamment la liberté d’expression et d’association. Son organisation, l’Institut des études des Droits Humains du Caire (CIHRS) a dû se délocaliser à Tunis en 2014, à cause de la pression grandissante du gouvernement égyptien sur les défenseurs des droits humains. Cependant, Mohamed a pris la courageuse décision de rester en Egypte pour y continuer son travail. Mohamed ne peut pas quitter présentement l’Egypte car il a reçu l’interdiction formelle de voyager et continue à recevoir des menaces de mort pour son travail en tant que défenseur des droits humains. Malgré cela, Mohamed persévère dans sa lutte pour convaincre le gouvernement qu’une société civile forte et dynamique, avec des citoyens libres de s’exprimer, renforce la stabilité de l’Egypte.
Pour plus informations sur l’organisation de Mohamed Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) allez sur ce lien ️http://www.cihrs.org/?lang=en
Vous pouvez également suivre CIHRS et Mohamed sur twitter ➡️ @CIHRS_en @mzaree

🎬Pour en savoir plus sur les efforts de Mohamed visant à promouvoir les #droitshumains et la #libertedassociation visionnez notre vidéo avec les explications du Jury. (vidéo disponible en anglais avec sous-titres arabes)
#Ennals2017

(Ville de Genève – Officiel Facebook)

https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2017/09/06/egypte-lepidemie-de-torture-pourrait-constituer-un-crime-contre-lhumanite

http://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2017/09/07/l-egypte-pratique-la-torture-a-la-chaine_5182438_3210.html

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/egypt-blocks-human-rights-watch-website-170908033740219.html (ENGLISH)

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/sep/06/egypt-security-forces-enforcing-torture-assembly-human-rights-watch-al-sisi (ENGLISH)

https://www.hrw.org/it/news/2017/09/06/308531 (ITALIANO)