Egypt - Latest Press Releases

On 7 May 2015, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture (SRT) regarding the arbitrary detention, torture and continuous ill-treatment of two children, 16-year-old Ahmed Shaaban Youssef and his 14-year-old brother, Ibrahim Shaaban Youssef, since their respective arrests on 22 February 2014 and 3 January 2015. Now unlawfully detained in a prison for adults, both are still subjected to ill-treatment and remain at high risk of torture in retaliation for their participation in peaceful demonstrations.

Published in EGY - News

On 1 May 2015, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture (SRT) and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health (SRH) regarding the continuous detention of former parliamentarian Mohammed Mohammed Mohammed Al Fallahgi since his arrest by the Homeland Security on 26 August 2013. In retaliation for his political stand, the prison authorities have also reportedly tortured Al Fallahgi and, although he suffers from several health issues, they are deliberately putting his life at risk by keeping on refusing him access to the medical care he requires.

Published in EGY - News

On 27 April 2015, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) regarding the disappearances of seven Egyptian citizens, including a child under international and Egyptian law, abducted between 15 March and 1 April 2015 by the Homeland Security. They were all arrested in retaliation for their alleged political affiliations to the Muslim Brotherhood, which puts them at high risk of torture during their secret detention in the Homeland Security facilities.

Published in EGY - News

On 22 April 2015, Alkarama sent a follow-up communication to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) regarding the sentencing, on 21 April 2015, of Mohamed Morsi and members of his staff to 20 years in prison, despite an Opinion adopted by the WGAD on 13 November 2013 finding "the deprivation of liberty of Dr. Morsi and his advisors mentioned above is arbitrary." The Opinion followed an urgent appeal sent by Alkarama on 15 July 2013 in which Alkarama considered the arrest of Mohamed Morsi and his team as a violation, not only of their right to liberty and security, but also of their right to fair trial procedures, and called upon the WGAD to intervene to protect them from torture and secure their release.

Published in EGY - News

On 17 April 2015, Alkarama sent a communication to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) regarding the arbitrary detention of Ahmed Magdy Atya Alwahsh, a 23-year-old student at Mansoura University who was arrested in March 2014. Secretly detained and tortured in retaliation for his affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood, Ahmed has still not been presented to a judge, more than a year after his arrest.

Published in EGY - News

Alkarama welcomes the release, on 17 April 2015, of Abdallah Anwar Ahmed Hussein, a 56-year-old worker and father of three who had disappeared since his arrest by police officers three weeks earlier. Abdallah was released by the Egyptian authorities in the streets of Cairo around 1am and was able to contact his son who brought him back home. Still under the shock, Abdallah was not able to say where he had been detained in secret, but his relatives reported that his body bore signs of torture and ill-treatment.

Published in EGY - News

On 10 April 2015, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Working on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) regarding the disappearances of four Egyptian citizens in late 2014 and early 2015, because of their alleged affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, a socio-political movement that continues to be the subject of a violent repression from the authorities. Their political opinions also put them at direct risk of being tortured or ill-treated while being secretly detained, or of being denied necessary medical treatment, a common practice in Egypt.

Published in EGY - News

On 8 April 2015, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, arbitrary and summary executions (SR SUMX), regarding the imminent execution of six Egyptian citizens sentenced to death for crime they could not have committed since they were secretly detained in the infamous Azouli military prison when the events occurred. Their sentencing, on 21 October 2014, follows a blatant unfair trial before the Supreme Military Court of Egypt during which seven people were sentenced to death, including one in absentia, and two others to life imprisonment.

Published in EGY - News

Egypt - HR Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

ICCPR: Ratified on 14.01.1982
Optional Protocol: No

State report: Overdue since 01.11.2004 (4th)
Last concluding observations: 28.11.2002

Convention against Torture (CAT)

CAT: Accessed on 25.06.1986
Optional Protocol: No
Art. 20 (Confidential inquiry): Yes
Art. 22 (Individual communications): No

State report: Due on 25.06.2016 (initially due in 2004)
Last concluding observations: 23.12.2002

International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

No

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Last review: 02.2010 (1st cycle)
Next review: 2014 (2nd cycle)

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) – Status A

Last review: 10.2006
Next review: Deferred