Libération d'Ahmed Abdallah
Le 10 septembre 2016, un tribunal pénal du Caire a ordonné la libération du défenseur des droits humains Ahmed Abdallah et de quatre autres personnes dans la même affaire, pour une caution s'élevant à 1000 livres égyptiennes. Lorsque la cour a ordonné la libération sous caution, l'accusation a décidé de ne pas faire appel de ce verdict.
Ahmed a été arrêté le 25 avril pour possession de tracts incitant à la violence, appelant à renverser le régime et à changer la constitution, ainsi que de promotion d'actes de terrorisme par des moyens indirects et sur internet.
Ahmed Abdullah est président du conseil d'administration de l'Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms - ECRF (Commission égyptienne pour les droits et libertés), une organisation qui opère dans plusieurs gouvernorats pour défendre pacifiquement les droits humains. L'ECRF a récemment fait une grande campagne contre l'usage systématique des disparitions forcées en Égypte. Dans son récent rapport, l'organisation accusait les services de sécurité tels que l'Agence nationale de sécurité et les services de renseignements de l'armée d'avoir enlevé des militants politiques et de les détenir au secret.
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- 12 Septembre 2016 : Libération du défenseur des droits humains M. Ahmed Abdallah
- 6 Septembre 2016 : La cour prolonge la détention du défenseur des droits humains Ahmed Abdallah
- 25 Avril 2016 : Wave of arbitrary arrests against several human rights defenders
- 9 Janvier 2016 : Human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah at risk of detention
Le 10 septembre 2016, un tribunal pénal du Caire a ordonné la libération du défenseur des droits humains Ahmed Abdallah et de quatre autres personnes dans la même affaire, pour une caution s'élevant à 1000 livres égyptiennes. Lorsque la cour a ordonné la libération sous caution, l'accusation a décidé de ne pas faire appel de ce verdict.
Une semaine plus tôt, le 5 septembre, le tribunal pénal avait prolongé de 45 jours la détention d'Ahmed Abdallah et de ses quatre co-accusés. Il était sous le coup de 10 chefs d'accusation dont: possession de tracts incitant à la violence et appelant à renverser le régime et à changer la constitution, et promotion d'actes de terrorisme par des moyens indirects et via un réseau terroriste. Il avait été arrêté le 25 avril et il aurait été maltraité en détention alors qu'il souffrait également de problèmes de genoux et de dos.
Front Line Defenders salue la libération du défenseur des droits humains Ahmed Abdallah et de ses quatre co-accusés, mais exhorte les autorités égyptiennes à libérer les autres défenseur-ses des droits humains qui sont toujours emprisonnés.
Le 5 septembre 2016, la cour d'assise du Caire a prolongé de 45 jours la détention du défenseur des droits humains Ahmed Abdallah et de ses quatre co-accusés. Il est sous le coup de 10 chefs d'accusation, notamment possession de tracts incitant à la violence et appelant à renverser le régime et à changer la constitution, ainsi que de promotion d'actes de terrorisme par des moyens indirects et sur internet. Ahmed Abdallah est détenu au poste de police de Tagamu au Caire depuis son arrestation le 25 avril; il aurait été maltraité en détention et souffre du genou et du dos.
Download the Urgent Appeal (PDF)
Le renouvellement de sa détention a eu lieu après que l'accusation a fait appel de la décision du tribunal pour les mauvaises conduites, qui avait ordonné sa libération sous caution, après le paiement de 10 000 livres égyptiennes (environ 1000 euros) le 3 septembre. Ahmed Abdallah envisage de faire appel de cette décision le 3 octobre.
Le 25 avril, les forces armées de sécurité ont arrêté Ahmed Abdallah chez lui. Les officiers armés ont saisi son ordinateur portable et son téléphone portable. Il a été transféré au premier poste de police de Nasr au Caire, suite à un mandat d'arrêt lancé contre lui par le parquet de l'est du Caire.
Front Line Defenders est préoccupée par la récente vague d'arrestations et de détentions des défenseur-ses des droits humains en Égypte, et exhorte les autorités égyptiennes à les libérer immédiatement.
Front Line Defenders exhorte les autorités égyptiennes à:
1. Libérer immédiatement et abandonner toutes les charges qui pèsent contre Ahmed Abdallah;
2. Restituer les objets confisqué pendant le raid, car ils ne sont manifestement liés à aucune activité criminelle;
3. Enquêter sur les mauvais traitements que le défenseur aurait subis en détention et prendre immédiatement des mesures afin de le protéger;
4. Mettre fin aux arrestations de masse des défenseur-ses des droits humains en Égypte, et libérer immédiatement ceux qui sont détenus;
5. Garantir qu’en toutes circonstances, tous-tes les défenseur-ses des droits humains en Égypte puissent mener à bien leurs actions légitimes en faveur des droits humains, sans craindre ni restrictions ni représailles.
Update 31 August 2016: On 27 July 2016, a Cairo criminal court rejected Ahmed's appeal against the renewal of his pre-trial detention. His next detention renewal session was initially set for 31 August, but it was then postponed to 1 September.
Amid a sweep of more than 300 arrests over the past several days in Cairo, Alexandria and other governorates, Egyptian security forces arrested several human rights defenders and transferred them to different police stations. This follows a recent call to protest in the “Egypt is not for sale” demonstrations, on 25 April 2016, against President Al Sissi's policies, human rights abuses and crimes committed by the security forces, and the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.
Human rights defenders, including Ahmed Abdallah, Malek Adly, Amr Badr and Maysara Abdoun have been targeted and are facing different forms of judicial harassment, including arbitrary arrests and detentions, arrest warrants. They were accused of “calling for protests to overthrow the regime, distributing flyers to protest, affiliation to a banned organisation, and promoting false news.”
Ahmed Abdallah is a human rights defender, founder and board director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), an independent organisation working on the promotion of democracy, religious freedom and minority rights in Egypt, as well as the spread of human rights values through documentation, campaigns and legal support.
Malek Adly is a human rights lawyer and director of the lawyers network at the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), which seeks to promote and mobilise social movements to spread the culture of human rights. He is one the founders of the Front for Defending Egypt's Protesters, a group comprising of thirty-four human rights organisations and several lawyers documenting illegal practices carried out by state police forces against peaceful protesters.
Amr Badr is a human rights defender and the editor-in-chief of Yanair news portal aimed at the documentation of human rights violations in Egypt.
Maysara Abdoun is a Nubian human rights defender, actively involved in the defence of minority and Nubian rights in the Aswan governorate. He is the training coordinator at Border Center for Support & Consulting (BSC), an organisation led by a group of youths with experience in the field of community development and human rights.
Arbitrary arrests and house raids against human rights defenders began on 21 April 2016, which coincided with Sinai Liberation Day. This followed a call to protest on 25 April 2016, in opposition to the recent maritime borders' agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia involving the transfer of two Red Sea islands to the Saudi Kingdom.
The current smear campaign, as well as the ongoing mass arrests of civil society, political activists and journalists, is a continuation of the harassment and threats faced by human rights defenders providing support and legal assistance to the protesters.
Human rights defender Ahmed Abdallah was seized from his house by armed security forces. The armed officers confiscated his laptop and mobile phone. He was transferred to First Nasr City police station in Cairo, following an arrest warrant issued against him by the East Cairo Prosecution. He is currently detained for fifteen days pending investigations, and has been accused of ten charges including the possession of leaflets, calling to overthrow the regime and change the constitution, and the promotion by indirect ways and through the web of terrorist offences.
An arrest warrant was issued by Egyptian authorities against lawyer Malek Adly and journalist Amr Badr both accused of promoting false news. On 26 April 2016, Maysara Abdoun was arrested during the protest in Al-Mahatta Square, Aswan by Egyptian police and transferred to First Aswan police station where he is currently detained for fifteen days, pending investigation. He is charged with attempting to overthrow the ruling regime. In addition to the mentioned human rights defenders, numerous activists have been targeted by police forces, including activist Sanaa Seif who was summoned to report to the South Cairo prosecution for a hearing session on 27 April 2016, over charges of plotting to overthrow the regime and distributing flyers calling for protests. The human rights defender was further charged with insulting a member of the judiciary and a new investigation was opened. This follows her release from prison in September 2015.
Malek Adly was previously targeted and summoned by the Cairo Appeal Prosecutor for interrogation in April 2015 following an anti-torture protest in Cairo, which he abstained from attending. Earlier in January 2016, Ahmed Abdullah faced threats of detention after the police raided a coffee shop in Giza governorate and questioned the staff about him.
Front Line Defenders is greatly concerned by the recent spate of arrests and detentions against human rights defenders in Egypt and urges the Egyptian authorities to grant their immediate release.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Egypt to:
1. Put an end to the ongoing mass arrests against human rights defenders in Egypt and immediately release those detained;
2. Drop charges against human rights defenders Ahmed Abdallah, Malek Adly, Amr Badr, Sanaa Seif and Maysara Abdoun ;
3. Immediately cease all forms of harassment of human rights defenders in Egypt, as Front Line Defenders believes that their rights are being restricted solely as a result of their legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights;
4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Egypt are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.
On 9 January 2016, three security agents dressed in civilian clothes and claiming to be affiliated with the police raided a coffee shop in the Agouza suburb of the Giza governerate and questioned the staff about human rights defender Mr Ahmed Abdallah.
After being informed that Ahmed Abdallah, who frequently visits the café in question, was not present, the security agents proceeded to inspect the premises. A complaint was subsequently filed by Ahmed Abdallah to the public prosecutor, holding the Interior Ministry responsible for any attempt to physically or psychologically harm him or endanger his life. It remains unclear if an arrest warrant has been issued against the human rights defender.
The ECRF and its staff have repeatedly been subjected to harassment and intimidation. Its executive director, Mr Mohamed Lofty, has been under a travel ban since June 2015, when he was prevented from travelling to Berlin to speak on the situation of human rights in Egypt at a round table organised in the German parliament by the Green Party.
On 13 December 2015, following his arrest on 19 November 2015, the Abdeen Misdemeanour Court in Cairo sentenced Mr Ahmed Said, a member at the ECRF, to two years' imprisonment for participating in a protest without a permit on the fourth anniversary of the Mohamed Mahmoud incidents.
Two further members of the ECRF have been detained since December 2015, as part of an ongoing crackdown by Egyptian authorities on young activsts and pro-democracy movements, which is being carried out to prevent protests from arising during the fifth anniversary of the 25th of January Revolution.
The ECRF has also been subjected to smear campaigns seeking to portray it as a threat to national security. Media outlets with close ties to the security services have published several reports accusing the ECRF and its leaders of holding secret meetings with American and European diplomats to conspire against Egypt's national security.
