Egypt: 19-year old Student Released After Abduction by Security Forces

Alkarama welcomes the release, on 6 November 2014, of 19-year-old student, Aliaa Tarek Mohammad Alsayed, whose family had not heard from since her abduction by the Egyptian security forces at the Al Azhar University campus in Cairo on 20 October 2014.

Contacted by her family left without response following their complaint to the General Attorney on 21 October, Alkarama had solicited the urgent intervention of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) to ask the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Alsayed, or at the very least to put her under the protection of the law, disclose her place of detention and allow her family to visit her without restrictions, as well as to take all appropriate measures to ensure respect for Alsayed's physical and mental integrity.

Presenting many signs of torture Alsayed, still in shock, is not ready to speak yet about the details of her abduction, especially that she does not remember her place of detention.

Alsayed was crossing the campus with two other students when they were surrounded by members of the security forces, arrested for no apparent reason, and forced to enter an armoured vehicle taking them to an unknown location. She just had time to text her mother to inform her of their arrest. Despite having released Alsayed's two friends the day following their abduction, and although her family went to all Nasr City hospitals and police stations to inquire about their daughter, the authorities refused to acknowledge her abduction. The next time her relatives heard from her was when the day of her release, when she called them to ask them to pick her up.

Shortly before her abduction, the Egyptian security forces had stormed the Al Azhar University campus, violating the fundamental academic freedom principles, using tear gas against students who were demonstrating peacefully. Alsayed's case happened in the context of the crisis between students and authorities, which has spread to all universities in the recent weeks. For several weeks, many events were held on the campus to protest against the measures taken by the authorities – including against expulsions and the arbitrary arrests and executions of hundreds of students since the beginning of the academic year.

"These events and this new campaign of repression orchestrated by the Egyptian authorities against students represent a worrying development for the future of the country," says Rachid Mesli, Alkarama Legal Director. "This is further evidence of the authorities' willingness to stifle any sign of free expression coming from the civil society, who provides the basis for the government's authority and legitimacy."

In view of the increasing crisis, Alkarama calls upon the Egyptian authorities to put an end to the repression against students and to cancel the several drastic amendments to the law on university recently adopted, in particular the one authorising the police and the army to intervene on university campuses.

For more information or an interview, please contact the media team at media@alkarama.org (Dir: +41 22 734 1007 Ext: 810)