This issue of the “Maan” bulletin addresses the latest developments in the human rights and civil society file in recent times, and in particular the right to freedom and personal security, the continued restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression, the right to peaceful protest, and the most important of these news items:
The Criminal Court renews Ashraf Omar’s detention for 45 days
The Consultative Chamber of the Badr Criminal Court decided on Tuesday, November 4, to renew the pretrial detention of cartoonist Ashraf Omar, who works for the Al-Manassa website, for another 45 days in connection with Case No. 1968 of 2024, State Security, according to his lawyer, Nabih Al-Gindi.
The decision to arrest and detain Omar sparked outrage from press freedom organizations. Thirty-four international and Egyptian human rights and press freedom organizations, including Article 19, condemned the imprisonment of journalists in Egypt. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had previously called on Egyptian authorities to immediately release Omar
The detention of Ismail al-Iskandarani and writer Hani Sobhi has been renewed for 15 days
The Supreme State Security Prosecution decided this evening, Sunday, November 2nd, to renew the detention of researcher and journalist Ismail al-Iskandarani and writer and novelist Hani Sobhi for 15 days pending investigations in two separate cases.
This is against the backdrop of accusations related to “joining a terrorist group and spreading false news, information and data that could harm public security.”
“Save Freedom of Expression” Renews Call to End Targeting of Journalists
On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed on November 2nd, the “Save Freedom of Expression” campaign renewed its call to end the targeting of journalists and media professionals in Egypt and to hold those responsible for the repeated violations against them accountable.
The campaign called on the authorities to immediately release journalists detained for their work, and to stop using pretrial detention as a tool for intimidation and punishment. Opening independent and transparent investigations into all violations committed against journalists and holding those responsible accountable, lifting the ban on press and media websites, and ensuring a legal and legislative environment that protects freedom of expression and guarantees the safety of journalists during their work.
Human rights organizations condemn the continued detention of pro-Palestinian activists in Egypt
Criticism is mounting from human rights organizations regarding the continued detention of citizens, including children, for peacefully expressing their support for the Palestinian people.
The Adalah Human Rights Organization confirmed in a statement on Saturday, November 1, its deep concern regarding the continued detention of 131 citizens in connection with 14 state security cases, solely for peacefully expressing their support for the Palestinian people and their rejection of the war on Gaza, despite the absence of any evidence that they committed a crime punishable by law.
Former MP Dies in Badr Prison Due to Medical Neglect
The family of Dr. Alaa El-Din El-Azab (60 years old), a former member of parliament from the Freedom and Justice Party, announced his death on Saturday, December 1st, inside his cell at Badr 3 Prison Complex, due to deliberate medical neglect following his arbitrary detention for more than 12 years.
Al-Azab was transferred to Badr Prison in 2022, as part of the campaigns to transfer political detainees to the new prison complex, where he suffered from a deterioration in his health and did not receive proper medical care despite repeated requests from his family to transfer him to an outside hospital.
Al-Azab had been held in solitary confinement since his arrest in 2013, and for many years he was denied family visits and basic necessities. His family held President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi fully responsible for his death, demanding an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of political prisoners inside Badr Prison.
