Articles for Egypt

A 48-year-old lawyer and member of liberal political party Al Dostour, Raafat Faisal Ali Shehata − also known as Ahsraf Shehata − disappeared in the hands of the Egyptian Homeland Security more than two years ago, on 13 January 2014. While the authorities continue to deny his detention claiming that Ashraf left Egypt, his wife was told by several former detainees or families of detainees that he was effectively detained.

In early February 2016, the Homeland Security arrested another two young men for no apparent reason. 25-year-old real-estate agent, Abo Obida Sayed Mahmoud Abdelhameed and 28-year-old imam, Islam Ibrahim Eltohamy Ibrahim have both been missing since, and despite having solicited various official bodies, their respective families remain unaware of their fates and whereabouts.

On 7 February 2016, teachers Medhat Mohamed Bahi Aldin Ahmed Abdelhameed and Magdy Hassan Amer Hassan disappeared following their arrest by the Egyptian police from Medhat's apartment in Giza. Despite having solicited various official bodies to establish their fates and whereabouts, their respective families, blissfully unaware of the reasons for their arrests, were met with a wall of silence.

On 12 and 31 January 2016, the police respectively arrested 15-year-old Asser Mohammed Zahr Aldeen Abdelwarth and 18-year-old Abdelrahman Mohammed Saleh Mohammed at their home, in Giza and Cairo. In spite of their numerous efforts to locate them, their respective families have not heard from them since and fear that they could be tortured during their secret detention.

Alkarama strongly condemns the hateful comments against supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood made on 27 January 2016 by the Egyptian Minister of Justice, Ahmed Al Zind, commenting on the recent attacks in the Sinaï during a live interview at prime-time on Sada Al Balad TV.

Alkarama welcomes the decision, recently made public, of the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) to consider reviewing the accreditation of the Egyptian National Human Rights Council (

On 22 November 2015, the detention of Hany Mohamed Hassanin Sharaf, founder of the Civilized Alternative Party and former Egyptian Air Force pilot, was renewed for 45 days pending investigations.

Over two years after Egyptian General, Abdel Fattah El Sisi overthrew the government of former President Mohamed Morsi, the time has come for Egypt's newly elected Parliament to review the laws adopted by the executive over the past two years.

Open letter to the following United Nations Special Procedures − Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to Freedom of opinion and expression (SR FRDX), Special Rapporteur against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (SRT), Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights whi

On 8 December 2015, the prison personnel of Tora prison violently repressed a hunger strike launched by several prisoners to protest the denial of their medication and the harshness of their conditions of detention, forcing the urgent hospitalisation of several of them. Among the hunger strikers was 22-year-old engineering student from Cairo University, Mahmoud Talaat Abdelhamid, who, although his foot was broken during the prison crackdown, was denied the right to see a doctor.