The undersigned organisations call for the immediate and unconditional release of the journalist Hossam Bahgat who has been arbitrarily detained solely for the peaceful expression of his views.
Files: Freedoms of expression
Joint Statement from Parties, Institutions, Rights Organizations, and Public Figures on the Proposed Counterterrorism Law
The undersigned rights organizations add their voices to that of the Journalists’ Syndicate, which has rejected the draft counterterrorism law in light of its inconsistency with Article 71 of the Egyptian constitution and because it seeks to reinstate restrictions that journalists have fought against for decades—a struggle that came to fruition in the 2014 constitution.
The case was filed in 2013 following the Edward Snowden leaks, which revealed the scale of communications surveillance by British and US intelligence practiced through the direct interception or tapping into global communication infrastructure.
Yesterday, the investigating judge in the NGO foreign funding case delegated a committee from the Ministry of Social Solidarity to visit the offices of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) in Cairo and look into its activities.
The ElRaml Appeal Misdemeanor Court issued a verdict on 31 May 2015 of imprisonment against women human rights defender (WHRD) and lawyer Mahienour El-Massry and other activists, namely Youssef Shaaban and Loay ElKahwagy, for 15 months in the case known as "ElRaml Police Station"
The undersigned organizations believe that these charges are aimed at harassing independent judges who support legislative reforms to improve the human rights situation
The arrest comes in the midst of security investigations regarding a call via social media channels for a public strike launched by activists and youth groups, including the 6th April Movement.
In an escalation move rejected by the undersigning Human rights organizations and individuals, the Prosecutor’s Office decided to transfer Ms. AzzaSoliman from the list of witnesses in the case of the Shaimaa El Sabbagh to the list of defendants.
The undersigned organizations reiterate that the objective of the judges’ forced retirement is first and foremost to send a message to judges, telling them to withhold their opinions except when expressing approval of the current political administration
