Beirut November 20, 2020
In light of the recent events that have trespassed in Egypt, ANND
expresses deep solidarity with the colleagues in the Egyptian Initiative
for Personal Rights (EIPR), a prominent human rights organization
working since 2002 to protect basic rights and freedoms in Egypt. On
Sunday the 15th of November 2020, Mohammed Basheer, the
administrative manager at EIPR, was arrested from his home and
questioned about his work, latest publications, and meetings. Three days
later, National Security Agency officers arrested Karim Ennarah,
director of the criminal justice unit of EIPR. Late evening on Thursday
the 19th of November 2020, Gasser Abdel Razek, executive director at EIPR, was also detained by security forces.
These arrests only exemplify the latest developments in the ongoing
crackdown carried out by the Egyptian authorities against human rights
defenders as well as social and political activists. Despite the lack of
evidence, the Supreme State Security Prosecution accused Basheer of
several crimes, including joining a terrorist organization, using a
personal account to spread false information on the internet undermining
public security, committing crimes of funding terrorism, and
broadcasting false news harming national interests.
Activists like Mohammed Basheer, Karim Ennarah and Gasser Abdel Razek
are exclusively being targeted because of their advocacy work and
involvement in human rights issues. These types of arrests represent
abuses of human rights obligations and can be considered as breaches of
several international conventions and treaties to which Egypt is a
signatory, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR), or the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR), and most importantly, the Egyptian
Constitution itself. Moreover, these episodes further emphasize the
extent of restrictions and intimidation campaigns faced by human rights
groups in Egypt, adding to the perpetual decrease of available space for
civil society organizations.
Therefore, we, the Arab NGO Network for Development, call for the
immediate release of Mohammed Basheer, Karim Ennarah and Gasser Abdel
Razek as well as all human rights professionals and activists, and for
the dismissal of the case against them and others who are being
investigated in similar cases in line with international human rights
obligations.
In addition, ANND signed a letter to all permanent missions in Geneva with more than 50 organizations in solidarity with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), and urging the missions to engage with the Egyptian authorities to advocate for the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammed Basheer, Karim Ennarah and and Gasser Abdel- Razek and the dismissal of the case against them.
Click here to read the letter.
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