|
A statement to Ministry of Interior
EOHR: 16 thousands detainees in Egyptian prisons since 1981
|
23/2/2006
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) announces the existence of 16 to 18 thousands detainees in prisons since 1981, in which EOHR declared these facts to Major Ahmed Diaa, Interior Minister's First Assistance for Legal Affairs who denied the existence of arrested detainees in prisons since 1981 or 1994.
Accordingly, EOHR stated also that in the 1990's, the total of arrested detainees reached 22 thousands, and after releasing some in the last few years and since1981, 16 to 18 thousands still detained in prisons despite the releasing decrees.
In addition, EOHR draws the attention of Major/ Ahmed Diaa, Interior Minister First Assistance for Legal Issues to the three kinds of detention in Egypt:
1) Recurrent arrests on political activists decided by state security investigation which used Article 3 of Emergency Law on a wide range and without limits to arrest the suspects which affect negatively on the public security and threaten personal freedoms. The state of emergency in Egypt also used to violate both Article 2 and 3 (repeated) of Emergency Law, in which the Interior Ministry discards release decrees of Supreme State Security Court (Emergency) which put an end to arrest acts. On the other hand, the state issues unlimited decrees of arrests which is considered a violation to judicial authority and specialty.
2) Detainees who continue their detention even after acquiring court decisions and after fulfilling their imprisonment period, such as the two brothers (Ahmed Nasr Badawy and Mohamed Nasr Badawy) in Kerdasa terrorist act trial.
3) Political detainees who received release verdicts and then subjected to arrest decrees such as Sheikh (Nashaat Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim) in lawsuit 24 [2001] Military Criminal Court.
We can also include criminal detention issued by Ministry of Interiors' office in crimes of violence or economic crimes as stipulated in Suspicion Law, and they differ from the political detention where the detainee's characterized by political affiliations.
On the one hand, EOHR's fact-finding mission stated that officers in police stations issue detention orders on a wide range in addition to a long term illegal detention without presenting the decrees to the Public Prosecution or the Judiciary, moreover, citizen arrested have to wait for 30 days to be able to complain in court which is considered to be a violation to citizens' freedoms, while on the other hand, EOHR registered testimonies of some detainees who received releasing decrees but they were administratively arrested again.
In light of the right to freedom and personal security stipulated by the Constitution and international human rights instruments, EOHR calls upon Ministry of Interior to immediately release all detainees without verdicts in respect to the Constitution and the sacredness of the law and the judiciary verdicts. The government also must declare the total of arrested detainees publicly, the reasons and the number of times these process fulfilled, though EOHR demands the following:
1) Abolition of Article 3 of Emergency Law 162 [1958] which permits the state authorities to issue arrest decrees of suspects, as there is no law that condemns or penalize suspicion.
2) Abolition of Law 50 [1982] which annulled the authority of administrative judiciary view complaints presented by the detainees and it biases the process towards the Supreme State Security Courts (Emergency) in which it violates both the Constitution and the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights.
3) The Public Prosecution have to check out the places of detention such as State Security Investigation, police stations and security directorates.
List of names of detainees since 1992 to this day
1) Name: Ahmed Tawfiq Mohamed
Arrest Date: 1/ 6 /1994
Place of Detention: al-Wady al-Gadid Prison
2) Name: Hassan Mohamed Attia Mohamed
Arrest Date: 1992
Place of Detention: al-Wady al-Gadid Prison
3) Name: Taha Khalifa Taha Tolba
Arrest Date: 1992
Place of Detention: Liman Tora Prison
4) Name: Abdel Men'em Said Taha
Arrest Date: 1993
Place of Detention: al-Wady al-Gadid Prison
5) Name: Said Gad Abd Allah Mohamed
Arrest Date: 1994
Place of Detention: Wady al-Natroun Prison
6) Name: Khaled Mohamed Ahmed al-Nezamy
Arrest Date: 1993
Place of Detention: Tora Prison (intensive guardianship)
7) Name: Hossam al-Deen Hassan Mohamed Abd Allah
Arrest Date: 21 / 1 /1993
Place of Detention: Abu Zaabal Prison (intensive guardianship)
8) Name: al-Said Saad Ismael al-Said
Arrest Date: 18 / 2 /1993
Place of Detention: Abu Zaabal Prison (intensive guardianship)
9) Name: Ali Sherif Hassan Khalil
Arrest Date: 19 / 6 /1994
Place of Detention: Abu Zaabal Prison (intensive guardianship)
10) Name: Alaa Mohamed Mohamed Nady
Arrest Date: 1992
Place of Detention: al-Wady al-Gadid Prison
11) Name: abdel Samea Karim al-Deen abdel Haq
Arrest Date: 12 /11 /1990
Place of Detention: Abu Zaabal Prison (intensive guardianship)
12) Name: Mohamed Ahmed Saeed
Arrest Date: 1993
Place of Detention: Wady al-Natroun Prison
13) Name: Fakhry Mohamed abdel Rady Ali
Arrest Date: 1992
Place of Detention: al-Wady al-Gadid Prison
14) Name: Essam Ali al-Said Hassan
Arrest Date: 23 /2 /1993
Place of Detention: Wady al-Natroun Prison
15) Name: Mohsen al-Said Hemida Yousef
Arrest Date: 1991
Place of Detention: Wady al-Natroun Prison
|
|
