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EOHR calls for immediate inquiry into the death of Ahmed Abdel Salam Ghanem
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11/6/2007
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) strongly condemns the death of Ahmed Abdel Salam Ghanem. Ghanem, a supporter of the independent candidate in the el Hassaneyya constituency (Sharqeyya governorate) died after an exchange of gunfire between supporters of the National Democratic Party (NDP) candidate and those of the independent candidate. EOHR calls for an immediate inquiry into the incident and demands that the results of this inquiry be made public.
In addition to the acts of violence and intimidation which occurred during the first hours of the Shura Council elections, EOHR monitors observed a number of violations, the most prominent بارزof which was the prevention of voters from entering polling stations, prevention of monitors from observing the election process, vote bribery and group voting.
These violations are as follows:
a. Awseem Co-ed school
1. Members of the public prevented from voting
EOHR monitors in the Awseem Co-ed School polling station saw three state security cars surrounding the school in order to prevent voters from casting their vote.
2. Prevention of NGO monitors from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors in the Awseem Co-ed School polling station were prevented from entering the polling station by a police officer on the pretext that permission to enter had not been issued to NGO monitors.
b. Damietta
1. Use of violence and intimidation
EOHR monitors in the special needs school polling station witnessed two cars (bearing registration numbers taxi Damietta 1953 and 4566) carrying a number of people bearing knives.
2. Prevention of candidates' representatives from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors witnessed representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate being ejected from the Ibn Khaloun primary school polling station. Representatives of opposition candidates were also ejected from the Yahya el Alaaly primary school polling station.
c. Qalyoubiyya
Transgressions by security bodies:
EOHR monitors in the village of Arab el Ayyayeeda, el Khanka and Shibeen el Qanater witnessed the arrest of nine representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Ahmed Khotaab.
d. Daqhileyya
1. Voting en masse
EOHR monitors in the Ali Abdel Razeq vocational school, Belqass, saw cars bearing registration numbers taxi Daqhileyya 22237, 120864, 923 and 23434 transporting people to vote for the NDP candidate.
2. Prevention of NGO monitors from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors were prevented by a police officer from entering the Belqass boys' elementary school polling station on the pretext that they had not obtained permission from the Interior Ministry to carry out monitoring.
e. Kafr el Sheikh
1. Vote buying
EOHR monitors in the 3rd constituency, Khatt el Sahel, witnessed vote buying. Supporters of independent candidate Mohamed Abdel Aziz Shahdy bought votes in exchange for fifty Egyptian pounds.
2. Violations inside the polling station
EOHR monitors in the Wasat constituency (which comprises the town of Kafr el Sheikh, Seedy Salem and Qaleen) noted that individuals were voting without voting cards. In the Manshat Salama (district of Reyad), Baqloula, el Amadaan and Kharag el Bekry polling stations voting booths did not have curtains.
3. Invalidation of voting cards
EOHR monitors in the el Aqoula polling station, el Berliss, saw the invalidation of nearly 200 voting cards. When election candidate Ashraf Mohamed el Said objected to this he was attacked by polling station officials.
f. Minya
1. Use of violence and intimidation
EOHR monitors in the constituency of Samaloot in the Koum el Loufy district witnessed the intimidation of voters in order to prevent them from entering polling stations.
2. Violations inside polling stations
EOHR monitors in the sub-district of Samaloot in the Beny Ghany district observed that polling stations lacked curtains.
3. People prevented from voting
EOHR monitors in the sub-district of Samaloot in the Sheikh Abdallah district witnessed women being prevented from entering polling stations and being informed that they should leave in their own interests and that members of NDP will do the necessary!
4. Prevention of candidates' representatives from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors in the sub-district of Samaloot in the Sheikh Abdallah district, Beni Hakam and Manshat Bedreeny saw representatives of opposition candidates being prevented from entering polling stations despite the fact they had obtained general and special permission as representatives.
5. Failure to use phosphoric ink
EOHR monitors in the sub-district of Samaloot, district of Beny Ghany saw that voters' fingers were not marked with phosphoric ink.
g. Fayyoum
1. Group voting
EOHR monitors in the Religious Institute polling station and Minya el Hayyat school in the first district of Atsa and Bandar el Fayyoum witnessed incidents of group voting. Cars bearing registration Taxi Fayyoum 4341, 13390, 67, 1454 and 1652 were seen taking voters to vote for the NDP candidate.
2. Prevention from voting
EOHR monitors in the Tahrir School in Bandar el Fayyoum saw the polling station closed off by a security cordon and people being prevented from voting.
3. Prevention of candidates' representatives from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors in the Religious Institute in the First District of Atsa and district capital of Fayyoum witnessed the representatives of all candidates except NDP representatives from entering polling stations. They were threatened with imprisonment upon their failure to disperse from in front of the polling station. EOHR monitors also saw representatives of electoral candidate Othman Diab being refused entry into polling stations numbers 82 - 85 on the pretext that they had not been issued authorisation by the Supreme Committee on Elections.
4. Influencing voters' choices
EOHR monitors ?? observed ??? urging voters to vote for the NDP candidate.
h. Suez
1. Prevention of NGO monitors from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors witnessed NGO representatives being prevented from entering the el Khalileyya school polling station in the Suez district capital despite their being in possession of notarised authorisations.
i. Boheyra
1. Closure of polling stations in front of voters
EOHR monitors in the Kafr Beni Helal polling station in the first district in the district capital and sub-district of Damahour witnessed security bodies taking over and closing the polling station in front of voters.
2. Prevention of candidates' representatives from entering polling stations
EOHR monitors in the in the Kafr Beni Helal polling station in the first district in the district capital and sub-district of Damahour witnessed the arrest of representatives of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Hosny Omar after their permits and personal ID cards were taken from them.
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