The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights

The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
Press

المنظمة المصرية لحقوق الإنسان

eohr@eohr.org
info@eohr.org

Cairo : 8/1/2003
Press Release

At the first day of 2003

Members of “Muslim Brotherhood” have been arrested

The State Security Investigation (SSI) arrested 14 of the members of the banned “Muslim Brotherhood” group, in addition to one fugitive, on last Wednesday, January 1^st, 2003. They were referred to the state security prosecution the day after, which ordered their pretrial detention for 15 days. The defendants were charged with affiliation with the banned Muslim Brotherhood, promoting propaganda in relation with the imminent war on Iraq and the economic situation inside Egypt. Noteworthy is that such charges were denied by the defendants attorney.

This is the first incident of arresting members of the banned group in 2003, however it is an ongoing practice which has turned to be a routinely and familiar stance adopted by the authority towards the Muslim Brotherhood. Usually defendants are pretrial detained for periods, mostly, up to six (6) months. EOHR has monitored that although the members of the Muslim Brotherhood are systematically arrested; such practice often coincides with certain events; i.e. the public, municipal, syndicates’ elections or the elections at the universities.

Again EOHR re-expresses its concern for the excessive use of pretrial detention by the prosecution which seems to be a sort of punishment, particularly as it was revealed that most of the arrested are usually released. Those who are referred to trial are presented before exceptional courts with virtue of the emergency law. Worth mentioning is that the authority justifies the referral to exceptional courts as a challenge to the armed violence groups however the Muslim Brotherhood defendants were not charged with committing violent acts. (A table of the incidents of arresting members of the Muslim Brotherhood during 2002 is enclosed).

In this concern EOHR regards excessive use of pretrial detention as a blatant violation of the right to personal safety and freedom. EOHR affirms the necessity of the cessation (ending) of the enforcement of emergency law as it is the legal tool used to breaches such rights and other rights guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution and the international instruments on human rights.

A table of the incidents of arresting members of the Muslim Brotherhood, monitored by EOHR during 2002

No. of the accused	Number of the case	The result
34	796 of 2002	All the defendants were released
5	872 of 2002	All the defendants were released
28	760 of 2002	All the defendants were released
6	583 of 2002	All the defendants were released
6	876 of 2002	All the defendants were released
22	703 of 2002	All the defendants were released
21	881 of 2002	All the defendants were released
12	868 of 2002	All the defendants were released
8	196 of 2002	All the defendants were released
2	884 of 2001	All the defendants were released
101	27693, 2761, 27690, 2769, 27696, 27694, 27700 and 9 of 2002	The case was referred to Al Raml Misdemeanor Court which acquitted 35 one and sentenced 66 to 3 months imprisonment.
8	They were arrested due to a clash between them and one of the university security officers.	They were released from the public prosecution in response to a demand of Moufeed Shehab(minister of high education)
6	Students at Al Gharbeya governorate	They were released
22	Al Dacatra Organization	They were referred to the military court, 6 defendants were sentenced to 6 years imprisonment, 11 were sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment and 5 were acquitted.
The total=281