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EOHR condemns kidnapping of Egyptian Ambassador in Iraq
3/7/2005
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) condemns the kidnapping of Egyptian Ambassador Ihab al Sherif, head of the Egyptian diplomatic mission to Iraq, and calls on the Egyptian authorities to immediately begin efforts with the Iraqi government in order to secure his release and reveal the identity of his kidnappers. It also urges Iraqi human rights and civil society organisations to cooperate with the Egyptian government in order to protect the Egyptian Ambassador's life and ensure he is well treated.
Unknown, armed assailants kidnapped al Sherif on Saturday evening (2/7/2005) near his home in the Mansour district of Baghdad. Some have attributed the kidnapping to news that al Sherif has been appointed Ambassador to Iraq, the level of Egyptian diplomatic representation in Iraq upgraded and the Egyptian interests section in Baghdad turned into an embassy.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, the first to target an ambassador in Iraq since this current series of kidnappings began.
EOHR calls for the immediate release of the Egyptian Ambassador and all Egyptian detainees and demands that they do not come to any harm and are not mistreated. It therefore calls on the Egyptian government to make contact with the official and religious authorities in Iraq in order to uncover the identity of those responsible for the kidnapping and their demands by sending an Egyptian mission to assess and clarify the situation and ensure the wellbeing of the kidnapped ambassador who was charged with improving relations between the Egyptian and Iraqi peoples. The Egyptian government must also impose tight restrictions on Egyptians traveling to Baghdad in order to protect their lives.
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