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EOHR calls for immediate release of Kifaya protestors
31/7/2005
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) condemns the serious violations suffered by Kifaya protestors and human rights activists during demonstrations yesterday (30/7/2005), and the random arrest of anyone who happened to be in the vicinity followed by their detention in unofficial detention centres. It calls for the immediate release of these protestors, whose detention violates the Egyptian Constitution and international human rights instruments.
Egyptian security forces arrested 30 people yesterday evening, and have released eight of them. Twenty two people remain in detention. They were arrested without any legal justification, and were merely exercising their right to peaceful protest, enshrined in the Egyptian Constitution and international human rights instruments. This arbitrary detention violates article 41 of the Constitution, articles 40 and 41 of the Criminal Procedures Code and article 9(1) and (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Security forces members wore plain clothing and hit demonstrators with electric stun guns and rubber truncheons. Demonstrators, including human rights activists such as Magdy Abdel Hamid and Kamal Abbass were dragged along the ground.
EOHR condemns these inhumane acts suffered by the protestors at the hands of security bodies and expresses its concern about mounting acts of violence against citizens exercising their right to protest. It therefore calls on the Egyptian government to:
1. Launch an inquiry into the official who ordered that the demonstrators be dispersed by hitting them, dragging them along the ground and making random arrests.
2. Launch an inquiry into fabricated police reports which falsely claimed that protestors had attacked security forces. Satellite channel images clearly show who was responsible for these assaults.
3. Promptly release the detainees and launch an immediate inquiry into the events surrounding the assault, torture and mistreatment of protestors.
4. Implement presidential promises for an end to the state of emergency. The state of emergency is used to sweep away rights such as the right to peaceful assembly and the right to physical wellbeing enshrined in the Constitution and international human rights instruments ratified by Egypt, which have been incorporated into Egyptian legislation by virtue of article 151 of the Constitution.
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