Egypt: 15 arrested in Al-Bahira, Alkarama sends urgent appeal
Arrest and detention
On 20 August 2009 15 Egyptian nationals were arrested by State Security Investigation (SSI) forces in the Al-Bahira Governorate. The SSI, accompanied by a team of Special Forces belonging to the Central Security agency, forced their way into their homes and arrested the individuals without warrants or public authority.
After their initial detention at an SSI facility in Dawar village, they were presented before a prosecutor on 21 August 2009. Ten of the individuals were held there until 23 August 2009 and then transferred to Borg el Arab Prison. The remaining five individuals were eventually released from the SSI facility on 28 August 2009, however immediately re-arrested by the SSI under an administrative detention order and subsequently transferred to Wadi Natroun Prison, where they are currently detained.
All of the individuals listed below are accused of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned group in Egypt, which the authorities deem a threat to public security.
Currently being detained at the Borg el Arab Prison (transferred to Borg el Arab Prison from SSI facility on 23 August 2009):
1. Muhamed Al-Safi Ibrahim Othman (محمد الصافي إبراهيم عثمان), aged 47 (born in 1962), working as the Director of Production for an Egyptian textile company.
2. Mustafa Sulaiman Abdullah Sulaiman (مصطفى سليمان عبد الله سليمان), working as an English teacher.
3. Adel Abdul Wahab Mergi (عادل عبد الوهاب مرجي), working as an English teacher .
4. Yahia Abdulati Ibrahim (يحيى عبد العاطي إبراهيم), working as the Supervisor at the Memphis Medical Company.
5. Yasser Ali Abdelrafea (ياسر علي عبد الرافع), working as the Director of a library.
6. Ibrahim Mustafa Abu Al-Saud (إبراهيم مصطفى أبو السعود), working as the Director of Study and Research at the Directorate of Organisation and Administration.
7. Sami Mohammed Abdel Mohsen (سامي محمد عبد المحسن), working as an Imam.
8. Osama Abdel Nabi Ahmad (أسامة عبد النبي أحمد), working as a teacher at the Secondary School of Mechanics .
9. Hazem Suleiman Kamel (حازم سليمان كامل), owner of a workshop.
10. Yahia Mohamed Mohamed Hegazi (يحيى محمد محمد حجازي), aged 57 (born in 1952), working as a civil servant at the Customs Office.
Currently being detained at Wadi Natroun Prison (detained at the SSI facility until 28 August 2009 when released and immediately re-arrested by the SSI under an administrative detention order and transferred to Wadi Natroun Prison):
11. Al Sayed Darwish Mwaanis (السيد درويش مونس), aged 55 (born in 1954), working as a high technician at the Al-Bahira Electricity Distribution Company.
12. Ali Mahmoud Taha (علي محمود طه), aged 41 (born in 1968), working as an agricultural engineer at Edco.
13. Mohamed Suleiman Al Sheikh (محمد سليمان الشيخ), aged 29 (born in 1980), working as a chemist.
14. Naji Abdul Rahim Sarhan (ناجي عبد الرحيم سرحان), aged 37 (born in 1972), working as a teacher at the Al Amine Private School.
15. Fatah Allah Mansour (فتح الله منصور), aged 25 (born in 1984), working as an agricultural worker.
Fears and obligations
There exist obvious fears that these individuals may make or have already made confessions under torture and duress. All signs point to a recent and similar case involving a group of individuals arrested alongside Fares Barakat on 17 May 2009.
Egypt ratified the UN Convention against Torture on 25 June 1986 and is obligated to uphold the obligations of under Article 15 of the Convention which stipulates that "any statement which is made as a result of torture shall not be evoked as evidence in any proceedings."
We also reminded that Egypt's human rights situation will be discussed at the upcoming Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council in the beginning of 2010. Alkarama will submit a report for this review.