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The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights Annual report 1999-2000 |
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Introduction
Section One Section Two : Section Three Section Four |
The Human Rights Situation in Egypt Fieldwork Activity Section Three First: Fieldwork Activity(1-1) The Remediation of Incoming Complaints to the EOHR The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights has received, for the year 2000, a number of (689) complaints from citizens has retained (40) of these due to the lack of available information or has left the domain of the EOHR. Another (10) complaints have been postponed due to their categorization as being special cases. The fact that the organization has received this number of complaints reveals the consolidation of the EOHR's presence within the Egyptian reality and its interaction with victimized citizens.The Categorization of Complaints Received by the EOHR # of Complaints=== Type of Complaint ===Category # 200=== Treatment of Prisoners ===1 200=== Arrests ===2 125=== Social & Economic Rights ==3 46 ==Egyptians Abroad ==4 20 ==Torture== 5 15== Right to Life=== 6 30=== Detainment ===7 - ====Disappearances ===8 3 ====Collective Punishment ====9 639 ===TOTAL ===10 Whereas the total number of complaints received by the EOHR for the year 1999 were (627) they are categorized as follows: # of Complaints = 106 The complaints received by the EOHR throughout the years 1999-2000 cover a wide spectrum - the cases deal with the violation of human rights, whether civil rights, political rights, economic rights, or social rights - as is clarified through the following table: In accordance to the operational mechanisms of the organization for the remediation of complaints, there are various different methods employed when dealing with complaints - the organization is concerned with dealing with the complaints received as quickly and effectively as possible - the methods used include: First: The dispatching of fact-finding missions; if the situation demands such an action to determine the reliability of a complaint and the soundness of information included in complaints received. Second: Correspondence with authorities; contacting the public figures responsible including the General Prosecutor, Minister of the Interior, Administrative Director of Corrective Centers/Prisons, and the authorities of national security. Correspondence also includes contacting and questioning ministries, government institutions, governors, and embassies. It is worth mentioning that this year the EOHR has opened channels of communication on the general administrative level with nearly all government institutions in the various different cities and villages of Egypt. Third: Attending investigations and judicial trials.Fourth: Public Awareness activities for raising the level of general consciousness of human rights, and of human rights violations, through publications, reports, pamphlets, and appeals to the media.The EOHR has, throughout the year 2000, delivered approximately 1,390 notifications to designated authorities including the General Prosecutor, Minister of the Interior, Administrative Director of Corrective Centers/Prisons, and the authorities of national security. The EOHR has also contacted and written to the various different ministries, governmental institutions, governors, and embassies. CATEGORIZATION OF COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY THE EOHR: TOTAL ===1390 Regarding the responses received by the EOHR following its correspondence with various different authorities, institutions, and public figures a total of (29) written responses were received from: the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Health, Ministry of the Workforce, Ministry of Public Insurance and Social Affairs, Ministry of Public Works, Governorate of Cairo, Governorate of Kafr el-Sheikh, Governorate of Qena, General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, Department of the guardianship of Iraqi Interests in Cairo, District of North Giza, and the Bureau of Social Affairs in Qena. Whereas the greatest proportion of notifications sent by the EOHR were those sent to the Ministry of Interior, Prosecutor General, and the Administrative Director of Prisons. However, the EOHR has not received any responses or replies from these three aforementioned authorities despite the pressing and gravely important contents of the notifications sent. Sample Replies Received by the EOHR for the Year 2000 18 (1-2) Visitations of Prisons: The visits to prisons by lawyers of the EOHR throughout the year 1999 had reached a total of approximately (28.) The lawyers had in this time managed to meet with (42) inmates and prisoners. These visits included those to the Damanhour Prisons, the Appeals Prison, the Qanatir Women's Prison, the Liman Torah Hospital, the Wadi el-Natroun Prisons #s 1 and 2, and the Abu Za'abal Military Prison. The lawyers were harassed and encountered many difficulties during their visits, and were not allowed interviews with any inmate or prisoner for more than five minutes - the interviews were conducted under the heavy surveillance of prison guards. (1-3) Fact-finding Missions for the Year 2000: The total number of fact-finding missions dispatched by the EOHR to designated event sites totaled (213) for the year 2000. These missions have investigated events related to various different violations of human rights including acts of violence perpetrated against civilians, illegal arrests, collective punishment, torture, and other violations. The following are among the reported violations of human rights received for the Year 2000: 1. Kafr el-Dawar- coerced religious conversion 2. Belqass- occurrence of death within police station. 3. El-Mahalla- monitoring of elections in the electoral district of Shebin el- Mahalla. 4. Al-Koshh- monitoring of events of the second Koshh outbreak of violence. 5. Al-Sinbellawein- detainment of citizen Om Hashim Mabrouk. 6. Bulaq Abu-'Ella Police Station- detainment of citizen Nadia Diab. 7. Shobra- occurrence of clashes in Mit Nama Village. 8. Helwan Police Station- Torture of citizen Muhammad Salah el-Dein. 9. Al-Sharqiya- occurrence of a civilian's death in the Abu Hammad Police Station. 10. Alexandria- reported case of torture in the Al-Muntaza Police Station. 11. El-Saff- sit-in of lawyers' at the Lawyers' Syndicate. 12. Al-Basatein- detainment of a citizen within the Al-Basatein Police Station. (1-4) Fact-Finding Missions for the Year 1999: The number of fact-finding missions dispatched by the EOHR for the Year 1999 totaled approximately (264.) These missions covered events related to human-rights violations of differing sorts including the use of violence against civilians, detainment, illegal arrests, collective punishment, torture, and disappearances in the various different governorates of Egypt. Among these violations are: 1. Alexandria- case of torture of a civilian. 2. Al-Qalyubia- police officers assault a civilian in Mit Nama. 3. Giza- detainment of a civilian in the Giza Police Station. 4. Port Said, Daqahlia, Ismailia- demolition of apartment building displacement of families. 5. Al-Gharbiya (El-Mahalla)- clashes between civilians and police forces. 6. Al-Sharabiya- detainment of a whole family in a police station. 7. Al-Gharbiya (Tanta)- clashes between civilians and police forces in the village of Ganzour. 8. Kafr el-Sheikh- civilian claims that his brother was killed by police. 9. Al-Minya, Sohag, Assiut- investigation of a number of civilian deaths in prisons. 10. Assiut- investigation into a civilian's complaints. 11. Bani Suef- torture of civilian. 12. Imbaba- inhabitants of 'Aziz 'Ezzat Camps for accommodation of displaced families. 13. Alexandria- death of civilian in the Al-Muntaza Police Station. 14. Al-'Agouza Youth Center - inhabitants of camp for accommodation of displaced families. (1-5) Monitoring of Trials & Investigations: The EOHR has, throughout 1999 and 2000, continued it activities in the field of monitoring trials and investigations by the attorney general. The organization has also monitored trials held before military courts and those held before the national security supreme courts so as to ensure that the defendants are given a fair hearing and that their rights are respected. A.) The Trials of Journalists. The number of trials, held before different courts, which the EOHR has monitored totaled (14) trials. Their case titles include: 1. Trial of journalist for the "Al-Shaab" newspaper on charges of slander & libel against Youssef Wali (5 hearings.) 2. Trial of journalist for the "Al-Shaab" newspaper on charges of slander & libel against Hassan Sabour (6 hearings.) 3. Trial of Journalist Reham Galal (8 hearings.) 4. Trial of two "Al-Ahrar" Journalists in the case of Fahim Rayan (11 hearings.) 5. Trial of "Al-Midan" Journalist on charges of slander & libel against Prince Tork Ibn 'Abdel 'Aziz. 6. Trial of Journalist Ashraf Ayub of "Al-Ahali" on charges of slander & libel against Hassan Kamel Ratib. 7. Trial of Magdy Hassan, Tal'aat Ramih, & Salah Bedyawi on charges of slander & libel against police officer. 8. Trial of two syndicate members Yehia Qalash & Mohammed 'Abdel Qudous on charges of slander & libel against police officers during their visitation of Journalist Gamal Fahmy. 9. Trial of Journalist 'Abdel Gawad Abu Kob. 10. Trial of Journalist Mustapha Nourel Dein on charges of slander & libel against a Sheikh from Al-Azhar. 11. Trial of (11) Journalists in the case of Actress Yousra. 12. Trial of Journalist Hamdi Rizq on charges of slander & libel against Dr. Khairy el-Samra. 13. Interrogation of Journalist Mohammed Ref'aat before the Al-Sayyida Zeinab Attorney. B.) Military Trials & National Security Military Trial for the renewal of prison sentence for Islamic Brotherhood. Attendance of Attorney of National Security's interrogation of (20) Muslim Brethren in Case # 1149 for the Year 1999. 1st.) Interrogations Held Before General Attorney & Before Attorney of National Security & the Office of the Attorney General The EOHR's Lawyers attendance of interrogations held before the Attorney General, before the Attorney of National Security, and the Office of the Attorney General including the following: 1. Attorney of National Security with Journalist 'Abbas el-Tarabili & Mohammed 'Abdel 'Alim of the "Wafd." 2. Technical Office for the Attorney General with "Al-Shaab" Journalists Magdy Hassan, Salah Bedyawi, 'Essam Hanafi, & 'Adel Hussein on accusations presented by Dr. Yousef Wali. 3. Technical Office of the Attorney General with "Al-Shaab" Journalists Magdy Hussein, Talaat Ramih in accusation presented by Hussein Sabour. 4. Attendance of interrogations of Journalist Galal 'Aref held before Attorney of National Security. 5. Attendance of interrogations of Journalist Hamada Imam held before Attorney of National Security. 6. Attendance of interrogations of Journalist Ahmed Fahmi held before Attorney of National Security. 7. Attendance of interrogations of Journalist Leila 'Abdel Hamid & of the two "Al-Shaab" Journalists held before the Al-Sayyida Zeinab Attorney. 8. Attendance of interrogations of "Al-Esbou'" Journalist Khaled Mahmoud held before Attorney of National Security. 9. Attendance of interrogations of the syndicate leaders of the Islamic Brotherhood held before Attorney of National Security. 10. Attendance of interrogations & the renewal of the imprisonment of 'Ain Shams University students (demonstrations.) 11. Attendance of interrogations & the renewal of the imprisonment of Cairo University students (demonstrations.) 12. Renewal of prison sentences of two suspects in Case # 14 7 for the Year 1999. 13. Renewal of prison sentence of Fathhi al-Misri at the Al-Mahala al-Kobra Attorney's Department. 14. Pressing of charges against the administration of Prison-Hospital Liman Torah for its failure to present prisoners before the Ma'aadi Attorney. Second- Legal Aid For Women &The Disabled PeopleThe project for the legal aid of women and the disabled is a novel project which was initiated late in the year 1998. This project began operating under very difficult conditions - especially given the aggressive government-led campaign targeted generally against human rights centers and organizations; but specifically against the EOHR - as this organization is considered they key guardian of Egyptians' human rights, and is a bulwark of human rights activism in EgyptNonetheless, the legal aid project had succeeded within the year 1999 to continue with its activities and to make the most of its limited capabilities in realizing the goals and interests of those seeking the organization's assistance. The extent of the assistance was, naturally, limited due to the governmental restraints and the economic restrictions with which the EOHR was faced. With the commencement of the Year 2000, despite the organization's lack of assistance and funding, and despite the constraints which the Attorney General had imposed upon the organization regarding its sources of funding, the EOHR has struggled to press forward with its legal aid project. With such the prevalence of hostile conditions governing, or rather limiting, NGOs' access to foreign funding, the initiation of the legal assistance project has been severely hampered. The EOHR has thus been limited in its project to providing legal guidance and the offering of advice. Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned reasons, the EOHR has been unable to provide two important services necessary for the project success: 1. The hosting of legal awareness seminars. 2. The issuing of reports regarding the various means for attaining legal aid. |
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