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A reporter for the Freedom and Justice newspaper and correspondent of Al Jazeera in the Suez Governorate, 30-year-old Abdul Rahman Shaheen has been detained by Egyptian authorities since 2014 in retaliation for his work as a journalist.

Shaheen had been wanted by the National Security forces since 2013 after he covered the peaceful protests in Suez against the military coup, as well as the repression and abuses committed against the protesters.

Arrest and trial

After a four-year-long confidential inquiry triggered by Alkarama, members of the Committee Against Torture (CAT) issued their conclusions, stating that the practice of torture is “habitual, widespread and deliberate” in Egypt. These conclusions are based on a wide range of cases of violations and an analysis of their structural causes, all of which were provided to the CAT by Alkarama between 2012 and 2016.

On August 28 and 29, 2017, Alkarama wrote to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances (WGEID ) regarding the cases of Yasin Issa and his son, Ahmad Issa, as well as Abdul Rahman Al Mushasha, all of whom remain missing since their abductions in Damascus and its surrounding area between 2013 and 2014. The Syrian authorities must provide information on these victims’ whereabouts or fates, or at the least, put them under the protection of the law.

On August 30, Alkarama is observing the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances by expressing our concern for victims across the Arab World and by encouraging states to respect their international obligations.

On August 28 and 29, 2017, Alkarama and Al Wissam Humanitarian Assembly wrote to the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED ) regarding the disappearances of Duraid Al Janabi and Raed Al Janabi, both from Latifaya, who have been missing since 2014.

On August 25, 2017, Alkarama and Al Wissam Humanitarian Assembly wrote to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances (WGEID) regarding the disappearance of Hazim Al Janabi, a daily worker from the small town of Latifiya, south of Baghdad.

Al Janabi was driving with his cousins on August 23, 2006 when he was stopped near the Yusufiya’s Bridge, at a checkpoint manned by the Iraqi Military Division no. 17. The officers arrested Al Janabi along with all other passengers travelling with him, before confiscating the vehicle.

On August 5, 2017, two officials of the Libyan Ministry of Interior of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) were extradited from Saudi Arabia to the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk, where they are currently at great risk of being tortured.

Mohammed Husayn Ali Al Khadrawi and Mahmoud Ali Al Bashir Rajb were detained following their arrival in Tobruk, territory of the rivalling Tobruk-based government under General Haftar.

During its 120^th session in July 2017 the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HR Committee) published its List of Issues in preparation for Lebanon’s third review, scheduled for March 2018.

Families fear for the lives of nine men who remain missing following their abduction by Egyptian State Security and police forces.

Over the past three weeks, 44 individuals, most of whom young students, were summarily executed by State Security forces while secretly detained for periods ranging from two weeks to a month.

This practice is creating a climate of fear in the country. Families, who are systematically denied any information despite numerous inquiries, are extremely concerned over the fate and physical integrity of their relatives.

On May 24, 2017, 21 news agencies’ websites* were blocked by the Egyptian authorities for “spreading lies” and “supporting terrorism.” The authorities made no official statement and did not inform the news agencies of their decision nor of its grounds. These websites, all known for being critical of the government, remain inaccessible from inside Egypt. The websites of several human rights organisations, including Alkarama and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, have also been targeted by Egyptian authorities.