(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is a 4 December 1998 ARTICLE 19 press release in response to the recent jailing Hafez Abu Seada, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR): London, 4 December 1998: For immediate release FEARS MOUNT FOR TOP EGYPTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER – IN JAIL, INCOMMUNICADO ARTICLE 19 today sent […]
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is a 4 December 1998 ARTICLE 19 press
release in response to the recent jailing Hafez Abu Seada, Secretary-General
of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR):
London, 4 December 1998: For immediate release
FEARS MOUNT FOR TOP EGYPTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER – IN JAIL, INCOMMUNICADO
ARTICLE 19 today sent out an urgent worldwide alert asking both Egyptian
President President Hosni Mubarak and the international community to ensure
the safety and immediate release from detention of Hafez Abu Seada,
Secretary-General of the internationally respected Egyptian Organisation for
Human Rights (EOHR). He has been held incommunicado since 1 December 1998 on
three charges after being apprehended at the State Prosecutor’s office in
Cairo during a meeting concerning a human rights report.
ARTICLE 19 is seriously concerned for the safety of Mr Seada. His wife told
us today that she was prevented from seeing him when she tried to visit him
in the in the Tora Istiqbal prison (where it is believed he is being held),
despite having permission from the authorities to visit. No representative
of Mr Seada’s interests, including his lawyer, has seen him since he was
detained.
Frances D’Souza, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19 said today:
“ARTICLE 19 calls on the Egyptian government to act in accordance with
international human rights law and immediately release Hafez Abu Seada.”
Although Mr Saeda was detained during a meeting about a report on torture,
at least one charge appears to relate to a UK Government grant to the EOHR.
The day before Mr Seada’s arrest, the money was returned to the donor due to
local concerns, and the project – on advancing the status of women – was
cancelled, to the detriment of those intended to benefit. While the charges
against Mr Saeda indicate that the government considers that accepting money
for this project was detrimental to Egypt’s national interest, bilateral
funds continue to flow from the UK to the Egyptian government (at least
£6.28 million in development assistance was disbursed in 1996/7).
ARTICLE 19 believes that the Egyptian government is contravening its
obligations under international law under the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, to which Egypt is a party. Article 9 concerns
the right to be brought before a judge promptly and, in view of the charges
he is apparently being detained under, Article 19 which guarantees the right
to impart and receive information regardless of borders.
