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On 23 September 2014, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture regarding the case of Ahmed Rashad, a 15 year-old teenager arrested on 16 May 2014 for taking part in a peaceful demonstration in the town of Zagazig, in lower Egypt.

Right after his violent arrest by policemen, he was brought to the police station where police officers beat him. He was then transferred to Zagazig Central Security Forces' facility where he was secretly detained for three consecutive days.

During his incommunicado detention, he was repeatedly beaten by policemen and national security officers. Using wooden sticks and even an iron bar, they left bruises on his entire body and caused severe bleedings that were not treated. After his three days of secret detention, he was brought before the Public Prosecutor but was not charged. The prosecution renewed his detention and requested his transfer to Zagazig second administrative prison, with common law criminals.

Even though the Public Prosecutor asked for Ahmed Rashad's medical examination, the prison personnel refused to bring him to the hospital, as they refused every single demand made by the family to adapt his regime of detention.

Rashad has asthma and the events he went through since his arrest have aggravated his state of health. Having had several asthma attacks since his arrest, Rashad is in urgent need of medical attention. His family warned the Public Prosecutor and the Ministry of Interior of his condition but they have not received any answer to date. Ahmed Rashad has now been imprisoned for more than five months without being charged and is in a preoccupying state of health.

In view of the foregoing, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) to ask the Egyptian authorities to release Ahmed Rashad immediately and to grant him access to a doctor as soon as possible. Furthermore, allegations of torture should be thoroughly and impartially investigated, and, if confirmed, perpetrators brought to justice. Egyptian authorities have to put an end to the arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of peaceful demonstrators.

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