23 February 2000 – for immediate release EGYPTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER UNDER THREAT Hafez Abu Saeda, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) faces a jail term of seven to fifteen years for accepting money from the British Parliament’s All-Party Human Rights Committee. ARTICLE 19 today wrote to Egyptian President Mubarak asking for […]
23 February 2000 – for immediate release
EGYPTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER UNDER THREAT
Hafez Abu Saeda, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) faces a jail term of seven to fifteen years for accepting money from the British Parliament’s All-Party Human Rights Committee. ARTICLE 19 today wrote to Egyptian President Mubarak asking for the charges against Mr. Abu Saeda to be dropped immediately, and the 1999 law which severely restricts the activities of NGOs to be repealed.
Andrew Puddephatt, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, said today:
“The EOHR has long been the target of the Egyptian government for its independent stance, including investigations into aspects of human rights which the authorities would rather ignore. We call for this unacceptable harassment to cease at once, including the immediate dropping of charges against Hafez Abu Saeda. Egypt’s laws must be amended urgently to reflect international legal obligations.”
Association Law 153, which severely restricts the activities of non-governmental organisations, was passed in the summer of last year at the same time as the European Union concluded a trade agreement with Egypt. ARTICLE 19 wrote to EU members at that time expressing concern that the new law would directly contravene international human rights obligations, including those which Egypt was already committed to under the Euro-Mediterranean partnership Barcelona Declaration of 1995 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Egypt signed in 1982.
Aside from the continuing direct censorship of publications registered outside Egypt, this year 14 publications have been forced to close under an administrative decree – including the EOHR’s newsletter for members.
ARTICLE 19 also wrote today to Robin Cook, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, asking that the UK Government take up these breaches by Egypt of its human rights obligations both with the Egyptian government and the European Union.
Note: On 13th February 2000 Hafez Abu Saeda was referred to an (Emergency) Supreme State Security Court to be tried for breaching Article No. 1 – item 6 of military order No. 4/1992 which forbids collecting, receiving, declaring or even asking for donations without the permission from the Ministry of Social Affairs.
