Egypt
30.07.02
Urgent Interventions
Egypt: a Human rights defender sentenced to seven years imprisonment
URGENT APPEAL – THE OBSERVATORY
New information
EGY 001/0202/OBS 010.1
New sentence
Egypt
30 July 2002
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an FIDH and OMCT joint program, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Egypt:
New information:
The Observatory has been informed by the Egyptian Organisation of Human Rights that Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, the Director of The Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies and a political sociology professor,þ and 27 employees of the Center, have been sentenced again to harsh prison sentences for receiving funds from abroad without previous State authorization.
The State Security Court has sentenced Dr. Saad El Deen Ibrahim to seven years of prison with hard labor, under the auspices of military decree N° 4 of 1992, adopted under the State Emergency law of 1981. This verdict is especially harsh considering the fragile physical condition of Mr. Eddin. Furthermore, the Egyptian Government has confiscated funds and equipment from the Ibn Khaldoun Centre and the funds of its affiliate organisation, The Center for Support of Women's Voters.
Additionally, the State Security Court issued the following harsh verdicts on employees of the Ibn Khaldoun Center:
· Ms. Nadia Abd El Nour has been sentenced to two years in prison with hard labor.
· Khaled Fayad and Osama Hashem have both been given a suspended prison sentence of one year.
· Ms. Marwa Zaki has been sentenced to two years in prison with hard labor
· Mr. Hassanein and Ms. Magda El Sayed have been sentenced with three years in prison with hard labor.
· The rest of the 21 defendants have been charged with a one-year suspended prison sentence.
Background Information
On June 30, 2000, Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim was arrested along with 27 employees of the Center. Dr. Eddin Ibrahim was charged with having received funds from the European Union without previous State authorization, as well as forgery of electoral cards, misappropriation of funds, and disseminating false information abroad contrary to the interests of Egypt.
The State Security Court sentenced Dr. Eddin to seven years in prison; the other 27 defendants were sentenced to one to five years in prison for forging electoral cards.
On 6 February 2002, the Supreme Court of appeals of Cairo examined the appeal filed by Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, concerning his condemnation to seven years of prison following a sentenced made by the Supreme Court of the State Security on 25 May 2001. The Supreme Court of appeals invalidated the sentence on the ground of faulty procedure and transferred the case to another State Security court. Nine persons amongst the 27 initially condemned also benefited from a similar decision. On 7 February 2002, Dr. Ibrahim was released
Actions requested:
Please write to the Egyptian authorities urging them to:
i. Immediately release Dr.Saad Eddin Ibrahim and all the other people who are being arbitrarily detained;
ii. To refrain from using the Emergency Law to restrict the activities of human rights and civilian NGOs and allow the re-opening of the Ibn Khaldun Centre and the free access of the researchers to it;
iii. Ensure that the judiciary, in complete independence, applies the international conventions that have been ratified by Egypt in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders which guarantee the freedom of association and action of defenders of human rights, and in particular, the right of NGOs to receive funds, including those from abroad;
iv. Guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments ratified by Egypt.
Addresses:
· H.E. President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, Abedine Palace, Cairo, Egypt, Email : Webmaster@presidency.gov.eg
· H.E. Faruq Sayf al-Nasr, Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, Midan Lazoghly, Cairo, Egypt, Fax: +202 795 8103, E-mail: mojeb@idsc.gov.eg
· H.E. General Habib Ibrahim El Adly, Minister of the Interior, Al – Sheik Rihan Street, Bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt, Fax: + 202 579 2031, e-mail: moi@idsc.gov.eg.
Geneva-Paris, 30 July 2002
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken, quoting the reference number given above.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line
Tel : FIDH : +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 ;
OMCT : +41 22 809 49 39
E-mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
New information
EGY 001/0202/OBS 010.1
New sentence
Egypt
30 July 2002
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an FIDH and OMCT joint program, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Egypt:
New information:
The Observatory has been informed by the Egyptian Organisation of Human Rights that Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, the Director of The Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies and a political sociology professor,þ and 27 employees of the Center, have been sentenced again to harsh prison sentences for receiving funds from abroad without previous State authorization.
The State Security Court has sentenced Dr. Saad El Deen Ibrahim to seven years of prison with hard labor, under the auspices of military decree N° 4 of 1992, adopted under the State Emergency law of 1981. This verdict is especially harsh considering the fragile physical condition of Mr. Eddin. Furthermore, the Egyptian Government has confiscated funds and equipment from the Ibn Khaldoun Centre and the funds of its affiliate organisation, The Center for Support of Women's Voters.
Additionally, the State Security Court issued the following harsh verdicts on employees of the Ibn Khaldoun Center:
· Ms. Nadia Abd El Nour has been sentenced to two years in prison with hard labor.
· Khaled Fayad and Osama Hashem have both been given a suspended prison sentence of one year.
· Ms. Marwa Zaki has been sentenced to two years in prison with hard labor
· Mr. Hassanein and Ms. Magda El Sayed have been sentenced with three years in prison with hard labor.
· The rest of the 21 defendants have been charged with a one-year suspended prison sentence.
Background Information
On June 30, 2000, Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim was arrested along with 27 employees of the Center. Dr. Eddin Ibrahim was charged with having received funds from the European Union without previous State authorization, as well as forgery of electoral cards, misappropriation of funds, and disseminating false information abroad contrary to the interests of Egypt.
The State Security Court sentenced Dr. Eddin to seven years in prison; the other 27 defendants were sentenced to one to five years in prison for forging electoral cards.
On 6 February 2002, the Supreme Court of appeals of Cairo examined the appeal filed by Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, concerning his condemnation to seven years of prison following a sentenced made by the Supreme Court of the State Security on 25 May 2001. The Supreme Court of appeals invalidated the sentence on the ground of faulty procedure and transferred the case to another State Security court. Nine persons amongst the 27 initially condemned also benefited from a similar decision. On 7 February 2002, Dr. Ibrahim was released
Actions requested:
Please write to the Egyptian authorities urging them to:
i. Immediately release Dr.Saad Eddin Ibrahim and all the other people who are being arbitrarily detained;
ii. To refrain from using the Emergency Law to restrict the activities of human rights and civilian NGOs and allow the re-opening of the Ibn Khaldun Centre and the free access of the researchers to it;
iii. Ensure that the judiciary, in complete independence, applies the international conventions that have been ratified by Egypt in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders which guarantee the freedom of association and action of defenders of human rights, and in particular, the right of NGOs to receive funds, including those from abroad;
iv. Guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments ratified by Egypt.
Addresses:
· H.E. President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, Abedine Palace, Cairo, Egypt, Email : Webmaster@presidency.gov.eg
· H.E. Faruq Sayf al-Nasr, Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, Midan Lazoghly, Cairo, Egypt, Fax: +202 795 8103, E-mail: mojeb@idsc.gov.eg
· H.E. General Habib Ibrahim El Adly, Minister of the Interior, Al – Sheik Rihan Street, Bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt, Fax: + 202 579 2031, e-mail: moi@idsc.gov.eg.
Geneva-Paris, 30 July 2002
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken, quoting the reference number given above.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line
Tel : FIDH : +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 ;
OMCT : +41 22 809 49 39
E-mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch