Articles for Egypt

At least 30 Muslim Brotherhood supporters were injured on 29 May 2010, as Egyptian security forces attacked an election rally organized by residents of Abu Homs in Al-Baheira governorate.

Mohamed Al-Mahdi Mohamed Attia, Atef Mohamed Amer, Osama Mohamed Obeid, Saad Abu Al-Ainain Metwali, Badr Abdelaziz Mahmoud Al-Fallah, were all arrested on 20 April 2010 under orders from the Prosecutor General following a peaceful sit-in protest. They have since been placed in administrative detention, despite a Court decision for their release.

Alkarama sent their cases to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 26 May 2010, requesting its intervention with the Egyptian authorities.

1. Mohamed Al-Mahdi Mohamed Attia, 50, is an engineer from Monufia governorate.

On 26 April 2010, State Security Investigative (SSI) forces, under the command of Officer Samah Heikel, carried out a warrantless search of Nasr Al-Sayed Hassan Nasr's home in Banha. Although Nasr Al-Sayed Hassan Nasr was not there at the time of the incursion, his belongings were confiscated and the SSI agents informed his family that he was requested to report to SSI headquarters in Banha. On 28 April 2010, Nasr Al-Sayed Hassan Nasr reported to the SSI station in Banha and has since disappeared.

The Egyptian Intelligence services arrested Ahmed Abdallah on 3 June 2008 and took him to the local police station where he was charged with drug trafficking. He eventually appeared in court and was acquitted, but held back on administrative orders despite two court decisions to annul his case. To date he has not been released.

Alkarama sent his case to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention asking for its intervention with the Egyptian authorities in order that the court decisions be respect and that Ahmed Abdallah be released.

The streets of Egypt are currently locked in a state of suspense in the lead-up to the upcoming legislative elections due to take place on 1 June 2010. As ElBaradei's "Movement for Change" and the Muslim Brotherhood begin to further harmonize on the ground level, Egyptian security forces have upped their efforts to suppress public opinion. The recent extension of Egypt's Emergency Law until 2012, means that opposition activists, politicians and leaders can be easily harassed.

Alkarama continues to receive reports of deaths inside Egyptian detention centers as a result of torture. The latest case of Tamer Mohamed Al-Baz'amara is no exception. The growth of this phenomenon is coupled with a lack of accountability and due process in investigating these violations.

Tamer Mohamed Al-Baz'amara, 20, was arrested in August 2009 and sentenced by a military court to two years imprisonment and hard labor for evading his military service.

Ibrahim Mujahid was arrested on 8 March 2010 by security guards of Kwaisna Art Institute while he was putting up posters written by students in support the Al-Aqsa mosque (in Jerusalem). The guards led him to their office where they tied him up and severely beat him all over his body.

On 28 April 2010, Alkarama sent his case to the Special Rapporteur on Torture, requesting that the Egyptian authorities conduct a full and impartial investigation into the acts of torture suffered by Ibrahim Mujahid, to establish who is responsible in order punish the perpetrators.

On 29 March 2009, Mohamed El Sanussi Mahmoud was arrested by police officers in Cairo. He was taken to Shobra Al-Khayma police station where he was held without charge for six months and subjected to repeated bouts of torture.

On 27 April 2010, Alkarama sent his case to the Special Rapporteur on Torture requesting an investigation by the Egyptian authorities into the alleged torture, in order to determine who was responsibile and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Alkarama has just received news that former Egyptian intelligence officer, Nabil Al-Maghraby, who was in the reserves during the October 1973 war, is currently Egypt's longest standing political prisoner. He was arrested in 1979, and is amongst the names of those suspected in the assassination of President Anwar Sadat on 6 October 1981.

On 31 March 2010 Deir Mawas investigative police officers, under the supervision of Mohamed Sobhi, illegally arrested a group of individuals from a coffeeshop in Samhan village, Deir Mawas in Al-Minia governorate. Amongst those arrested was Fadel Abdullah Hussein, the coffeshop owner who would later be killed in police custody following a fatal blow to the chest allegedly delivered by Mohamed Sobhi.