Egypt state-run newspaper threatens that EIPR founder may 'vanish'
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Hossam Bahgat, founder and acting director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
December 7, 2020
An Egyptian state-run newspaper with ties to National Security has published a disturbing article about the founder and acting director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).
"It is not unlikely for Hossam to suddenly vanish," wrote former editor Khaled Imam. "His followers would claim he was forcibly disappeared or detained. But if he does suddenly disappear then most certainly, he will have joined a terror group abroad."
An Egyptian state-run newspaper with ties to National Security has published a disturbing article about the founder and acting director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights [@hossambahgat/Twitter]
The warning comes just days after three senior members of the EIPR were released following an international outcry.
They were arrested last month after meeting with Western diplomats to discuss human rights in Egypt.
Karim Ennarah, Gasser Abdel-Razek and Mohamed Basheer were kept in pretrial detention on charges of terrorism and spreading false news.
Abdel-Razek was singled out for particularly bad treatment and was being kept in solitary confinement. Their arrest drew wide condemnation from European and US politicians and even Hollywood celebrity Scarlett Johansson.
A panel of three senior judges in a terror court froze their personal assets, despite the decision to release them.
The EIPR documents systematic violations carried out by the Egyptian regime and in November released a report on the rising number of executions being carried out by the regime.
Patrick Zaki, a researcher with the EIPR who was arrested at Cairo Airport at the beginning of this year and tortured, remains in jail and was not mentioned during the court session.
In September the Egyptian Commission for Human Rights said 2,723 Egyptians had been forcibly disappeared in five years.
Forcibly disappeared Egyptians have been extrajudicially killed and also tortured. If they are forcibly disappeared, it gives them less access to legal rights to prove they were ill-treated whilst detained.
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Hossam Bahgat, founder and acting director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
December 7, 2020
An Egyptian state-run newspaper with ties to National Security has published a disturbing article about the founder and acting director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).
"It is not unlikely for Hossam to suddenly vanish," wrote former editor Khaled Imam. "His followers would claim he was forcibly disappeared or detained. But if he does suddenly disappear then most certainly, he will have joined a terror group abroad."
An Egyptian state-run newspaper with ties to National Security has published a disturbing article about the founder and acting director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights [@hossambahgat/Twitter]
The warning comes just days after three senior members of the EIPR were released following an international outcry.
They were arrested last month after meeting with Western diplomats to discuss human rights in Egypt.
Karim Ennarah, Gasser Abdel-Razek and Mohamed Basheer were kept in pretrial detention on charges of terrorism and spreading false news.
Abdel-Razek was singled out for particularly bad treatment and was being kept in solitary confinement. Their arrest drew wide condemnation from European and US politicians and even Hollywood celebrity Scarlett Johansson.
A panel of three senior judges in a terror court froze their personal assets, despite the decision to release them.
The EIPR documents systematic violations carried out by the Egyptian regime and in November released a report on the rising number of executions being carried out by the regime.
Patrick Zaki, a researcher with the EIPR who was arrested at Cairo Airport at the beginning of this year and tortured, remains in jail and was not mentioned during the court session.
In September the Egyptian Commission for Human Rights said 2,723 Egyptians had been forcibly disappeared in five years.
Forcibly disappeared Egyptians have been extrajudicially killed and also tortured. If they are forcibly disappeared, it gives them less access to legal rights to prove they were ill-treated whilst detained.
will help other prisoners
An Egyptian police officer enters the Tora prison in the Egyptian capital Cairo on 11 February 2020 [KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images]
December 6, 2020 at 12:16 pm
The head of a leading Egyptian human rights group who was held for two weeks on terrorism charges said on Saturday he hoped that the campaign to secure his release would help others still jailed on similar allegations, reported Reuters.
Activists saw the detention last month of Gasser Abdel Razek, executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), and two of the group's other staff, as the latest escalation of a broad crackdown on political dissent under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Egypt's foreign ministry had said EIPR was operating illegally, an accusation the group denies. There has been no official statement from public prosecutors since Abdel Razek's release, and officials could not be reached for comment.
The arrests, which came after EIPR hosted a briefing on human rights for 13 senior diplomats in Cairo on November 3, sparked rare public criticism from Western states and an international campaign on social media.
Abdel Razek said he was unclear why he had been held beyond the officially stated charges of belonging to a terrorist group, spreading false news and misusing social media – accusations made in the past against figures from across the political spectrum.
Read: US lawmakers call on Sisi to release EIPR leaders
Abdel Razek said it would be "business as usual" for EIPR.
"We're hitting the third decade of the 21st Century, human rights work will continue in Egypt and elsewhere," he said in an interview at his home in Cairo.
"I'm hoping that our speedy release would have some sort of effect on the hundreds of people that are going through the same situation."
While the total is unclear, rights groups say tens of thousands have been detained in a clampdown on political opposition since Sisi ousted the Muslim Brotherhood from power in 2013.
Sisi has said Egypt holds no political prisoners, that security is paramount and that the government is promoting human rights by working to provide basic needs such as jobs and housing. The president and his backers say the detentions over recent years are necessary to stabilise Egypt.
The three EIPR staff were freed on Thursday. Patrick Zaki, an EIPR researcher who was a graduate student in Italy before his arrest in February, remains in jail.
Abdel Razek said he had been very cold for the first few nights in solitary confinement in Cairo's Tora prison, but had not suffered any physical mistreatment.
"It's a great feeling to be around my kids, my wife and friends, but it's very painful to leave the people behind, so let's hope we can pressure to get them all out."
An Egyptian police officer enters the Tora prison in the Egyptian capital Cairo on 11 February 2020 [KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images]
December 6, 2020 at 12:16 pm
The head of a leading Egyptian human rights group who was held for two weeks on terrorism charges said on Saturday he hoped that the campaign to secure his release would help others still jailed on similar allegations, reported Reuters.
Activists saw the detention last month of Gasser Abdel Razek, executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), and two of the group's other staff, as the latest escalation of a broad crackdown on political dissent under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Egypt's foreign ministry had said EIPR was operating illegally, an accusation the group denies. There has been no official statement from public prosecutors since Abdel Razek's release, and officials could not be reached for comment.
The arrests, which came after EIPR hosted a briefing on human rights for 13 senior diplomats in Cairo on November 3, sparked rare public criticism from Western states and an international campaign on social media.
Abdel Razek said he was unclear why he had been held beyond the officially stated charges of belonging to a terrorist group, spreading false news and misusing social media – accusations made in the past against figures from across the political spectrum.
Read: US lawmakers call on Sisi to release EIPR leaders
Abdel Razek said it would be "business as usual" for EIPR.
"We're hitting the third decade of the 21st Century, human rights work will continue in Egypt and elsewhere," he said in an interview at his home in Cairo.
"I'm hoping that our speedy release would have some sort of effect on the hundreds of people that are going through the same situation."
While the total is unclear, rights groups say tens of thousands have been detained in a clampdown on political opposition since Sisi ousted the Muslim Brotherhood from power in 2013.
Sisi has said Egypt holds no political prisoners, that security is paramount and that the government is promoting human rights by working to provide basic needs such as jobs and housing. The president and his backers say the detentions over recent years are necessary to stabilise Egypt.
The three EIPR staff were freed on Thursday. Patrick Zaki, an EIPR researcher who was a graduate student in Italy before his arrest in February, remains in jail.
Abdel Razek said he had been very cold for the first few nights in solitary confinement in Cairo's Tora prison, but had not suffered any physical mistreatment.
"It's a great feeling to be around my kids, my wife and friends, but it's very painful to leave the people behind, so let's hope we can pressure to get them all out."
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