Blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah is detained arbitrarily according to UN Working Group

On June 29, 2016, the WGAD publishedits opinion[1] regarding the detention ofAlaa Abdel Fattah. The Working Group stated that “the peaceful,non-violent expressionor manifestation of one’s opinion, or dissemination or reception of information,even via the Internet, if it does not constitute incitement to national, racial orreligious hatred or violence, remains within the boundaries of the freedom ofexpression. Hence, deprivation of liberty applied on the sole ground of having committedsuch actions is arbitrary”.

Alaa Abdel Fattah is an Egyptianblogger and civil and political rights activist, member of the “No to Military Trials for Civilians”[2] movement. Since November 28, 2013, he hasspent 2,5 years indetention for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedoms of expression anddemonstration. Two different sets of charges were brought against him inrelation to protests held in November 2013 and May 2012. On January 5, 2014,the North Giza Criminal Court sentenced him to a suspended sentence of one yearin prison on charges of “arson”, “theft”, “damage to property”, “violence” and“danger to public safety” in relation to the first case. On February 23, 2015,the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment for“organising a protest without a permit”, “organising an illegal assembly thatendangers public security”, “blocking roads”, “assembling illegally” and“attacking and injuring a public servant”. While he is serving his prisonsentence, he is now serving charges for “insulting the judiciary.

The WGAD stated in its opinion that“the aim of such a demonstration was to express different legitimate viewsand opinions regarding amendments to legislation of Egypt”.

The case of Alaa Abdel Fattah isillustrative of the extensive scope of the repression campaign targeting humanrights defenders for their legitimate activities under the current regime. TheWorking Group highlighted that the decision, linked with previous ones, “indicatessystemic and widespread arbitrary detentions of individuals in the context ofpeaceful protests”. Ms. Sanaa Seif[3],Mr. Abdel Fattah's sister, is currently serving a six-month term for “insultingjudiciary” as she refused to answer to the judge’s questions and replied thatshe did not want to be part of this masquerade. Other human rights defenders,including Mr. Malek Adly, Mr. Haytham Mohamadeen, Ms. MahienourEl-Massry, Mr. Ahmed Douma, Ms. Aya Hijazi, Mr. AhmedAbdel Rahman, Mr. Ahmed Doma, Mr. Ahmed Maher, Mr. AhmedAbdallah, Ms. Gamila Ahmed Saraeldin, Ms. Abir Said MohamedMostafa, are currently in detention[4].

The Observatory calls upon theEgyptian authorities to implement the UN decision and to release immediatelyand unconditionally and drop all charges against Alaa Abdel Fattah as well asall human rights defenders detained in the country for their human rightsactivities.

TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) wascreated in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). Theobjective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations ofrepression against human rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu,the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented byinternational civil society.

For more information, pleasecontact:

• FIDH:Audrey Couprie / Arthur Manet: + 33 143552518

• OMCT: Delphine Reculeau: +41 228094939

[1] See UN WGAD Opinion No. 6/2016 (Egypt), UN Document A/HRC/WGAD/2016,June 6, 2016: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Detention/Opinions/Session75/Opinion_2016_6_Egypt.pdf

[2] This movement was set up in 2011 and denounced human rights abusescommitted in particular by security forces and the army during the rule of theSupreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) after the fall of former PresidentMubarak.

[3] Previously, in 2014, she was condemned for participating in a marchagainst Law 107 but she was released following a presidential pardon a yearafter. See Observatory Urgent Appeal EGY 002/0614/OBS 058.2, issued onJuly 1, 2014

[4] For more information on these casesand other emblematic cases of activists arbitrarily detained in Egypt, pleasesee the campaign launched by ten Egyptian human rights organsiations on http://alznazeen.net/