Brussels/Copenhagen/Paris/Tunis, 26 April 2016
Hundreds of people have been arbitrarily arrested yesterday, Monday 25 April 2016, by Egyptian Security forces in response to planned peaceful protests in Egypt. These protests coincided with a national holiday celebrating the Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982 and followed growing criticism of the agreement by the Egyptian authorities to give 2 islands to Saudi Arabia. Others had already been arrested in the preceding days, as security forces arbitrarily rounded up people suspected of being politically active in central Cairo.
EuroMed Rights and its members condemn this massive crackdown
According to the Front of Defence of Egyptian Protesters (FDEP), at least 238 people, including foreign nationals, activists and journalists, were arrested yesterday across Egypt. EuroMed Rights is particularly concerned about four cases and urges the Egyptian authorities to respect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. We call for the immediate release of all persons detained for having peacefully protested.
Ahmad Abdallah, Board Director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), arrested from his house in the Fifth Settlement in Cairo,
Haitham Mohammadin, lawyer and labour rights activist, also arrested,
Malek Adly, prominent human rights lawyer and director of Lawyers Network at the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) was arrested on 5 May 2016
Amr Badr, editor-in-chief of Yanair.net, is also subject to an arrest warrant