Egypt: A new campaign of multiple arrests in Al-Bahira governorate

Alkarama has appealed to the Special Rapporteur on torture in each of these cases, asking him to intervene with the Egyptian authorities. These arrests took place at the same time as that of Fares Barakat, whose case was submitted to the United Nations on 3 June 2009.

The 25 people are:

1. Mr Emad Mohamed Fathi Abdel Hafez (عماد محمد فتحى عبد الحافظ عبد السميع), aged 40, working as a teacher at Damanhur Technical High School, married with 3 children, and living at Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

2. Mr Mohamed Mohamed Ismail El Erian (محمد محمد إسماعيل العريان), aged 52, working as a teacher at Damanhur Technical High School, married with 2 children, and living at Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

3. Mr Ahmed Ali Hussein Eid (احمد على حسين عيد), aged 38, working as a middle school teacher in Abu Homs, married with 2 children, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

4. Mr Hani Mohamed Gaber El Bakatouchi (هانى محمد جابر محمد البكاتوشى), aged 45, working as a primary school teacher in Messin, married with 3 children, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

5. Mr Said Mabrouk El Sayed Baraghit (سعيد مبروك السيد براغيت), aged 54, working as an engineer with Telecom Egypt, married with 3 children, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

6. Mr Mohamed Abdel Nazir Mohamed Etman (محمود عبد النظير محمد عتمان), aged 46, working as a social worker at Ahmed Moharam Middle school in Damanhur, married with 3 children and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

7. Mr Mohamed Abdel Hakim Abdel Rashid Abdel Moawad (محمد عبد الحكيم عبد الرشيد عبد المعوض), aged 50, working as a teacher at Ahmed Moharam Middle School in Damanhur, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

8. Mr Abdel Hakim Abdel Raouf Hassan Soliman (عبد الحكيم عبد الرؤوف حسن سليمان), aged 44, working  as a cotton expert, married with 3 children, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

9. Mr Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Mawogoud Mohamed (محمد احمد عبد الموجود محمد), aged 31, working as a teacher at Shamoob Middle School, father of an infant, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

10. Mr Ali Abdel Fattah Mohamed El Sheikha (على عبد الفتاح محمد الشيخه), aged 46, working as an engineer in an company producing electricity, married with 4 children and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

11. Mr Sayed Hassan Salem El Bakatouchi (سيد حسن سالم البكاتوشى), aged 55, working as an agricultural engineer, married with 4 children and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

12. Mr Ashraf Mohamed Nagib El Kateb (اشرف محمد نجيب الكاتب), aged 43, working as a financial manager at the Dar Salam Polyclinic in Damanhur, married with 3 children and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

13. Mr Ahmed Hassanen Ahmed Hegazi (احمد حسنين احمد حجازى), aged 36, working as an Arabic teacher, married with 5 daughters, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

14. Mr Ahmed Ali Ghoneim Wahba (احمد على غنيم وهبه), aged 37, working as a real estate tax collection officer, married with 2 daughters, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

15. Mr Magdy Zaky Atya Oda (مجدى زكى عطيه عوده), aged 43, working as a legal researcher, married with 3 daughters and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

16. Mr Mohamed Mamdouh Ali Salman (محمد ممدوح على سلمان), aged 32, working as a chemist, married with a 2-year old son, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

17. Mr Khaled Mahmoud Meligi Ali (خالد محمود مليجى على), aged 37, working as a social worker, married with 4 children, and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

18. Mr Mohamed El Esawi El Zahabi (محمد العيسوى محمد الذهبى), aged 46, a retired colonel and flight engineer, married with 4 childern and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

19. Mr Ali Anwar Nasr (على أنور احمد نصر), aged 42, working as the Director of an information centre for the local unity, married with 4 children and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

20. Mr Ahmed Abdel Fattah Abdel Aziz El Sammad (احمد عبد الفتاح اسماعيل الصماد), aged 48, working as an engineer in an electricity transmission company, married with 3 children and living in Abu Rish, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

21. Mr Hassan El Sayed Abou Hassan (محمد حسن محمد السيد أبو حسن), aged 38, working as a teacher at Damanhur Technical High School, married with 2 daughters and living in Choubbra, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

22. Mr Mohamed Abdel Monem Ibrahim Zeidan (محمد عبد المنعم إبراهيم زيدان), aged 35, self-employed, married with 1 daughter and living in Choubbra, Al Bahira Governate, Egypt;

23. Mr Mohamed Hassan Mahmoud El Sakhawy (محمد حسن محمود السخاوى), aged 43, working as a teacher at Ahmed Moharam Middle School in Damanhur, married with 3 children, and living in Salah Eddine, Damanhur, Al Bahira Governorate, Egypt;

24. Mr Aboul Fotouh Mohamed Abou El Yazid Aboul Fotouh (ابو الفتوح محمد أبو اليزيد أبو الفتوح), aged 45, working as an accountant in an import-export company in Alexandria, married with 3 children and living in Maidan Al Mahattah, Damanhur, Al Bahira Gavernorate, Egypt;

25. Mr Osama Mohamed Ibrahim Soliman (اسامه محمد إبراهيم سليمان), aged 45, owner of a construction company, married with 4 children and living in Choubra, Damanhur, Al Bahira Gavernorate, Egypt.

Mr Osama Mohamed Ibrahim Soliman (اسامه محمد إبراهيم سليمان), aged 45, owner of a construction company, married with 4 children and living in Choubra, Damanhur, Al Bahira Gavernorate, Egypt.

All these men seem to have been arrested by factions of the State Security Special Forces unit, members of the investigation service, as well as officials from the General Security Services. A staggering total of one hundred officers participated in this operation. 

All of the 25 individuals are being detained at the headquarters of the Investigative Bureau of State Security, Place de l'Opéra in Damanhur, where they have been tortured on several occasions. 

One day after their arrest, they were accused of belonging to the banned Muslim Brotherhood. The first court hearings took place between 18 and 31 May 2009 during which the "confessions" racked under torture were used against them. The judge found no allegations of torture nor did he order an investigation. 

The records of these people were sent to the Supreme Court of State Security in Cairo where they will appear on 15 June 2009. 

Egypt has ratified the Convention against Torture on 25 June 1986 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 14 January 1982; having pledged to respect its principles. 

We recall that Egypt will be considered under the UPR of the Human Rights in early 2010. Alkarama presented a report in this regard.