- Thread starter
- Staff
- #1
Dadparvar
Staff member
- Nov 11, 2016
- 9,658
- 0
- 6
British-Egyptian writer and human rights activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah is being unlawfully detained by the Egyptian government, according to an investigation by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Following the 18-month investigation, the panel concluded that his arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment violated international human rights law and constituted a clear attempt to silence a prominent government critic.
Abd el-Fattah, a central figure in Egypt’s 2011 revolution, has faced repeated arrests over the past decade. In his most recent case, he was sentenced to five years in 2021 for allegedly spreading false information through a Facebook post criticizing the state’s treatment of prisoners. The UN panel found that the charges stemmed from his exercise of freedom of expression and that the state failed to provide a legal basis for his detention, violating his rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The trial proceedings were also found to have violated due process. Abd el-Fattah was tried in an emergency court, denied meaningful access to legal counsel, and excluded from the preparation of his defense. Court sessions were held in secret, and the judgment was issued without a proper appeals process. The panel emphasized that the entire process failed to meet international standards of justice and fairness.
The experts added that his detention is discriminatory, targeting him for his political beliefs and activism. This aligns with a broader pattern of repression in Egypt, where critics of the regime, including lawyers, journalists, and opposition figures, are regularly detained on vague national security grounds. According to Human Rights Watch, Abd el-Fattah’s case is symbolic of the Egyptian government’s systematic effort to silence dissent through arbitrary detention and criminal prosecutions.
Concerns about his well-being have intensified over the past several years. In 2022, during a prolonged hunger strike, his family was unable to contact him for weeks. The confirmation that he was alive came only after mounting international pressure and diplomatic appeals, especially from the United Kingdom, where Abd el-Fattah holds citizenship. His mother and sisters have since been leading a global campaign for his release.
The UN panel calls on Egypt to immediately release Abd el-Fattah, grant him reparations, and launch an independent investigation into the violations he has endured. The experts also urged the government to end the misuse of counterterrorism and national security laws to target peaceful expression and political opposition. The panel’s opinion now joins a chorus of voices calling for justice, including international lawmakers, human rights defenders, and foreign governments.
As Egypt continues to position itself as a key international partner in diplomacy and trade, the treatment of Alaa Abd el-Fattah serves as a crucial test of its human rights commitments.
The post UN panel finds detention of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah illegal appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.
Abd el-Fattah, a central figure in Egypt’s 2011 revolution, has faced repeated arrests over the past decade. In his most recent case, he was sentenced to five years in 2021 for allegedly spreading false information through a Facebook post criticizing the state’s treatment of prisoners. The UN panel found that the charges stemmed from his exercise of freedom of expression and that the state failed to provide a legal basis for his detention, violating his rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The trial proceedings were also found to have violated due process. Abd el-Fattah was tried in an emergency court, denied meaningful access to legal counsel, and excluded from the preparation of his defense. Court sessions were held in secret, and the judgment was issued without a proper appeals process. The panel emphasized that the entire process failed to meet international standards of justice and fairness.
The experts added that his detention is discriminatory, targeting him for his political beliefs and activism. This aligns with a broader pattern of repression in Egypt, where critics of the regime, including lawyers, journalists, and opposition figures, are regularly detained on vague national security grounds. According to Human Rights Watch, Abd el-Fattah’s case is symbolic of the Egyptian government’s systematic effort to silence dissent through arbitrary detention and criminal prosecutions.
Concerns about his well-being have intensified over the past several years. In 2022, during a prolonged hunger strike, his family was unable to contact him for weeks. The confirmation that he was alive came only after mounting international pressure and diplomatic appeals, especially from the United Kingdom, where Abd el-Fattah holds citizenship. His mother and sisters have since been leading a global campaign for his release.
The UN panel calls on Egypt to immediately release Abd el-Fattah, grant him reparations, and launch an independent investigation into the violations he has endured. The experts also urged the government to end the misuse of counterterrorism and national security laws to target peaceful expression and political opposition. The panel’s opinion now joins a chorus of voices calling for justice, including international lawmakers, human rights defenders, and foreign governments.
As Egypt continues to position itself as a key international partner in diplomacy and trade, the treatment of Alaa Abd el-Fattah serves as a crucial test of its human rights commitments.
The post UN panel finds detention of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah illegal appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.