Articles for Egypt

Egypt: Incommunicado detention, torture and forced confessions for 22 prisoners accused of belonging to Hezbollah

In a message released on 23 October 2009, the 22 detainees accused of belonging to the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah asserted that "state security intelligence has detained and tortured us in different ways ranging from the use of electricity on all parts of our bodies, to forcing us to stand all night, to threatening to bring our mothers, children and brothers and subject them to torture while forcing us to listen." Arrested between December 2008 and April 2009, the detainees were taken to Egyptian State Security Intelligence (SSI) headquarters in Nasr Cit

16 Nov 2009

Egypt: Two Muslim Brotherhood student activists arrested for their political views

On Wednesday 4 November 2009, two university students were summoned by the police on fabricated charges. They were known at the university for their political activism in favor of the Egyptian opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood. The two students were taken to al-Mansoura police station on 5 November 2009, but a court ordered their release on 7 November 2009.

13 Nov 2009

Egypt: Release of Dr. Gamal Abdel Salam, Muslim Brotherhood member, detained 5 months without charge

Dr. Gamal Abdel Salam was released following his detention for 5 months without charges. This comes in the context of continued waves of arrests in Egypt of members and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

13 Nov 2009

Egypt: Eight university students held incommunicado - fears of torture

Egyptian State Security Investigation (SSI) forces arrested eight students on 28 October 2009 on accusations of membership to the Muslim Brotherhood - they were held for three days incommunicado at Zagaziq Police Station and then transferred on 30 October 2009 to Damanhour prison. During the students three days incommunicado detention at Zagaziq Police, they were exposed to ill-treatment and subjected to insults and beatings at the hands of the SSI.

Their names are as follows:

03 Nov 2009

Egypt : WGAD informed of successive waves of arbitrary arrests and detentions of Muslim Brotherhood members

In the past 3 months, the Egyptian government has carried out successive mass arrests of leading members of the country's largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, including Dr Ashraff Abdel Ghaffar and Dr Ahmed Heshmat.

27 Oct 2009

Egypt: Two new waves of arrests

Alkarama has received news of two separate new waves of arrests in Daqahliyah governorate. These arrests occur in the context of hundreds of arrests over the past few months which mainly target members and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Relatives of "Zeitoun cell" arrested in Kom al-Darby

23 Oct 2009

Egypt: Alkarama submits case of Yusuf Abu Zahri to the UN Special Rapporteurs

Alkarama has submitted the case of Mr Youssef Hamdane Awad (Abu Zahri) to the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions and the Special Rapporteur on Torture. Mr Youssef Abu Zahri, the brother of Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri, was arrested by Egyptian State Security Intelligence (SSI) on 28 April 2008, detained for 7 months in various Egyptian jails and regularly tortured by the SSI. He died on 10 October 2009.

Updates on the events leading to his death

20 Oct 2009

Egypt: Urgent Update - Youssef Zahri, brother of Hamas spokesman, tortured to death

Youssef Hamdan Abu Zahri, brother of senior Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri, died on Tuesday in Burg al-Arab prison after sustaining critical injuries caused by torture at the hands of State Security Investigative (SSI) Forces at their Headquarters in Alexandria.

Youssef Zahri, a Palestinian national, was arrest in April 2008 in Al-Arish, near Egypt's border with Gaza, and accused of illegally entering the country through an underground tunnel.

14 Oct 2009

Egypt: Hisham Diab finished sentence in May 2004, still detained

At dawn on 8 May 2001 Hisham Mahmoud Diab, 51, a dual citizen of Dutch and Egyptian nationalitiy was arrested by State Security forces at his home in Heliopolis, Cairo. He was then tried and sentenced by a Military Court, despite being a civilian, to three years imprisonment.

09 Oct 2009

Egypt: More members of the Muslim Brotherhood arrested

Alkarama has received news from Egypt regarding the arrests of two separate groups in Al-Buheira and Munufeya Governorate.

12 Muslim Brotherhood members arrested in Al-Buhira

On 26 September 2009, the following 12 people were arrested by State Security forces in Al-Buhira:

1. Mohamed Gamal Ahmed Heshmat (Assistant Professor, Institute of Medicine of the Alexandria University)
2. Mohamed Mohsen Ibrahim Swaidan (retired)

30 Sep 2009