Paris-Cairo-Geneva, August 30, 2019 - Mr. Ramy Shaath, political
opponent and Coordinator of the BDS movement in Egypt, is arbitrarily detained
since July 5. The information was made public last week by his wife, who was
forcibly expelled from the country at the time of her husband’s arrest. FIDH,
the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Cairo Institute for Human
Rights Studies (CIHRS) denounce the ongoing consequences of the most recent
crackdown on civil society in Egypt. They renew their call on the authorities
to immediately end any act of harassment, including at the judicial level,
against all peaceful activists, in particular political opponents and human
rights defenders.
Mr. Ramy Shaath is a political opponent with Palestinian-Egyptian
dual citizenship. He joined the coalition of activists who organized the
January 2011 popular uprising that led to the departure of Egyptian President
Mubarak, and played an important role in the country's democratic transition,
including the El-Dostour party. In addition, he has been the Coordinator of the
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement in Egypt since 2015, in support
of the Palestinians' right to self-determination. He is also the son of Dr. Nabil
Shaath, former Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister and current Foreign Affairs
Advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas in Palestine.
Last week, his wife, Ms. Céline Lebrun Shaath, revealed that her
husband has been arbitrarily detained since July 5, 2019, when a dozen of
heavily armed security agents stormed his home during the night and searched it
without presenting any legal documents justifying their intervention. During
the raid, officers seized computers, hard drives and mobile phones. They took
Mr. Ramy Shaath to an unknown location. Ms. Lebrun Shaath, a French citizen
residing in Egypt for more than seven years, was present at the time of his
arrest. She was arbitrarily and forcibly deported from Egypt back to France by
officials who also refused to allow her to contact her consulate, though she
was officially under its protection.
“Mr. Ramy Shaath is
arbitrarily detained for his legitimate and peaceful political activities and
charged in a baseless criminal case. in which there is no tangible evidence
against him, except for "police investigation findings" to which
neither he nor his lawyers have had access”, said Leslie Piquemal,
Senior EU Advocacy Representative at CIHRS.
Mr. Shaath’s disappearance was reported by his family and lawyers to the
Qasr el Nil police station on July 5 in the morning. 36 hours later, on July 6,
Mr. Shaath reappeared before the State Security Prosecution. It was then that
his family discovered that he had been added to an already open criminal case (State Security case No. 930/2019) known as the "Hope Plan" case, and charged
with "assistance to a terrorist group".
The last months saw the creation in
Egypt of a movement bringing together political parties and social movements on
a pro human rights agenda. The Egyptian authorities, relayed by the official
media, have renamed it the “Hope Plan”, and wrongly accused its alleged
supporters of terrorism and undermining State security.
Since his arrest, Mr. Ramy Shaath has been held in Torah prison. He
spent his first month of detention in a cell of about 30 square metres in which
about 30 other people were also detained, some suffering from illnesses, with
no space to lie down. His pre-trial detention has been constantly renewed, most
recently on August 27, 2019.
“We urge the Egyptian
authorities to release immediately Mr. Ramy Shaath, given the absence of
charges based on solid evidence against him, and that his wife be allowed to
return to Cairo as soon as possible, both to support her husband and because it
is her place of residence and employment”, said Gerald Staberock, OMCT Secretary General.
“During the last two months, at least 83 persons, including
political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders, have been arrested
in Egypt over terrorist charges for their alleged implication in a plot against
the State, including former member of Parliament and human rights lawyer Zyad
al-Elaimy, and human rights defenders Hassan Barbary, Ahmad Taman and Alaa
Essam”, recalled Shawan Jabarin, Secretary General of FIDH.
Contacts:
* FIDH: Anissa Daboussi (French, English): +33 6 08 99 50 80
* OMCT: Iolanda Jaquemet (French,
English): + 41 79 539 41 06 / +41 22 809 49 39
| Tweet |
English
French