14 September 2015

Egypt: Secretly Detained and Forced to Sign Confessions Under Threat of Torture by Homeland Security before Public Prosecutor

10th of Ramadan City 10th of Ramadan City Google Maps

On 11 September 2015, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) regarding the case of sales director Hosni Talaat Mohammed Al Nagar, detained incommunicado since his arrest by the 10th of Ramadan Homeland Security in July 2015. Hosni, who already suffers from diabetes, was severely tortured to make him confess to crimes he had not committed, before he was charged with "affiliation to a terrorist cell linked to the Muslim Brotherhood" and of various acts of sabotage.

On 27 July 2015, several members of the Security Forces and of the Homeland Security raided Hosni's house in 10th of Ramadan City, in the Sharqia governorate, 55 km East of Cairo. Without giving any reasons for their presence, they searched the house and collected Hosni's laptop and mobile phone. Handcuffed and blindfolded, the 46-year-old father was dragged outside of the building and forced into a car that left for an unknown location. Unaware of his whereabouts and fearing for his life, on 28 July his family sent telegrams to both the Public Prosecutors of Zagazig – the capital of the Sharqia governorate – and Cairo, but they remained dead letter.

It is only a month later, on 27 August 2015, that Hosni's family was told by a lawyer that their relative was still alive and detained inside the Central Security Forces Camp in 10th of Ramadan City. The lawyer, who had been able to speak to Hosni in the Public Prosecutors' office in 10th of Ramadan City while he was visiting a client, reported that Hosni had been secretly detained for 15 days inside the Homeland Security headquarters of 10th of Ramadan City, during which he had been repeatedly tortured. Among other atrocities, Hosni had been hanged by his hands and feet and electrocuted numerous times on his entire body, including on his genitals, to the point that he had fainted several times.

Exhausted by his ordeal, Hosni had eventually confessed to crimes that he had not committed. Brought before the public prosecutor on 11 August 2015, he had been forced to sign confessions under the threat of Homeland Security officers. He had then been charged with "affiliation to a terrorist cell linked to the Muslim Brotherhood" and "participation in various acts of sabotage in the 10th of Ramadan City", before being brought to the Central Security Forces Camp where he would still be detained.

To this day, and despite the steps taken with the local prosecutors, Hosni's family has not officially heard from him. If it wasn't for the lawyer's testimony, his family would still be unaware of his fate and whereabouts. Today, not only do they fear that he could be subjected to more torture during his secret detention – especially since they have constantly been refused entrance to the Security Forces Camp – but they are also particularly concerned over Hosni's health, since it is very unlikely that he be provided with appropriate medical care for his diabetes, as it is common practice for the prison authorities to deny medication to real and alleged political opponents. Alkarama also worries that the confessions he signed under torture will be used in court against him, as Egyptian judges often admit such evidence during trials – such as in the case of these six men who were sentenced to death for crimes that occurred after their respective arrests – even though Egyptian law and Constitution forbid it as well as Article 15 of the Convention against Torture (UNCAT).

Local remedies being inefficient, Hosni's family turned to Alkarama that sent an urgent appeal to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) to ask the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Hosni and to open thorough and impartial investigations into the reports of torture he made. "The authorities must take effective measures to end the practice of enforced disappearances, including by creating a monitoring body to investigate reported cases of disappearances, as well as allegations of torture, with the aim of punishing the perpetrators of these crimes," urges Thomas-John Guinard, Regional Legal Officer for the Nile at Alkarama. "The fact that the public prosecutor himself is involved in such crimes shows that impunity prevails for perpetrators of grave human rights violations, which does not bode well for the democratic future of the country."

For more information or an interview, please contact the media team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Dir: +41 22 734 1008).

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