Update: Summons of @EIPR executive director Hossam Bahgat to the Public Prosecutor’s Office has now been moved up to Wednesday 16 June
Files: Freedoms of expression
Urgent Action Needed to Address Serious Concerns Raised by UN Rights Bodies
The evictions carried out by the Israeli authorities in Sheikh Jarrah and other old neighborhoods in East Jerusalem are a clear and explicit violation of international law, which may amount to “war crimes” as described by the spokesperson for United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Rupert Colville. The signatory organizations denounce the position of US President Biden’s administration regarding the attacks that may amount to crimes against humanity committed by Israel against Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories.
The undersigned organizations renew their call for the Egyptian authorities to stop these trials, including the human trafficking case against Hossam and al-Adham, and release the defendants who continue to be held in pretrial detention been sentenced to imprisonment in connection with these cases. In addition to guaranteeing freedom of expression, including on the internet, and to stop employing the Law's vague provisions on Combating Information Technology Crimes to infringe on digital rights.
The motion follows a petition launched on the anniversary of Patrick’s arrest this year and signed by more than 200,000 Italian citizens calling on the Italian government to grant Patrick Italian citizenship. Since Zaki’s arrest in February 2020, more than 50 Italian cities and counties have granted him their honorary citizenship in appreciation for his work defending human rights and highlighting his unjust imprisonment, with the campaign titled “100 Cities for Patrick”.
Today, Patrick's lawyers have maintained the need for the prosecution to disclose the justifications for its request to continue Patrick's imprisonment, under ArticleNo.136 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for the accused's defense to refute and refute it and for the court's balance between the prosecution's statements and the defendant's defense. In the face of the lawyers ’request, the Public Prosecutor reiterated his general phrase, which says,“ The justifications for remand are available. ”.
Solidarity action with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) We urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mohammed Basheer, Karim Ennarah and Gasser Abdel-Razek and the dismissal of the case against them.
EIPR also warns of the danger of using Article 27 of the Law to Combat Electronic Crimes issued in 2018 to target the same spectrum of non-traditional ideas and trends, under the pretext of “misuse of social media.” Last June as well.
