The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) calls on Public Prosecutor Mohamed Shawky to urgently launch an investigation into the illegal detention of student Hussein Ragab Hussein El-Sharqawi, for more than 180 days, and his enforced disappearance since January 27th.

A security force arrested El-Sharqawi from his home at dawn on August 22nd 2024, and seized his mobile phone and the tablet that he received from his school. The force did not explain to El-Sharqawi's father why his son was arrested or the destination to which he would be taken. El-Sharqawi's family later learned that he was held at the Maadi police station and handed some belongings to the station for his personal use. El-Sharqawi remained in the police station without an official investigation. Three months later, his family learned that he had been transferred to Dar El-Salam police station in his neighbourhood, and they also handed the station food and personal items for him to use. There has not been any news about El-Sharqawi since January 27th, as he has forcibly disappeared after being transferred to an unknown location.

The family sent a complaint (No. 1671617676) to the Public Prosecutor on February 2nd regarding El-Sharqawi's arrest. It appealed to the Public Prosecution to consider their complaint for fear of bringing charges against El-Sharqawi without evidence. However, they have not received a response so far.

El-Sharqawi's current status is consistent with the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), which Egypt is reluctant to sign. The convention defines enforced disappearance as any form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which places such a person outside the protection of the law.

During the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Egypt's human rights record, held last January, Egypt received 15 recommendations from various countries calling on it to criminalize enforced disappearance and sign the ICPPED.

EIPR holds the Ministry of Interior and the Public Prosecution fully responsible for the safety of El-Sharqawi, who has been illegally detained since August 22nd 2024, and forcibly disappeared since January 27th. It believes that his continued disappearance and detention is a crime that requires an urgent investigation and punishment of the perpetrators. El-Sharqawi's current status runs counter to Article 54 of the Egyptian constitution, which states that "citizens may only be apprehended, searched, arrested, or have their freedoms restricted by a causal judicial warrant necessitated by an investigation". It also contradicts Article 139 of the Criminal Procedures Law, which stipulates that "the person arrested or detained should be immediately informed of the reason for his arrest or detainment. He also has the right to contact whomever he thinks should know about his arrest, including a lawyer. He should also be promptly informed of the charges levelled against him".