El Nadeem Center against Violence and Torture

Yucef Shabaan .. A Life in Danger

Update: Yucef released on the 29th of November 2010.

Update: Prosecution extends Yucef’s detention 15 more days.

Journalist and activist Yucef Shabaan was supposed to present today in front of the magistrate of appeal to decide upon his release or extension of his administrative detention. On Friday the 19th of November 2010 the Raml prosecution in Alexandria had ordered the detention of Shabaan for 4 days.. By law this decision should have expired today at 2.30 p.m. and Shabaan should have been released. But Yucef did not show up. Nobody saw him since his arrest on Friday while he was covering events in the area of Abu Soliman in Alexandria for the electronic El Badil newspaper where he works as a journalist.

Yucef was kidnapped from the street last Friday by officer Khaled Shalabi, chief of intelligence in Alexandria, who had previously threatened to “settle accounts” with Yucef during the latter’s participation in the Khaled Said protests. Upon his arrest, with other activists, Yucef was blindfolded, handcuffed and pushed into a microbus where he was brutally beaten by the officer himself and his assistants. The chief of intelligence pulled him by his hair and pushed his head out of the car window threatening that “Yucef will not be able to write again”.

The car initially took Yucef and the others to El Montaza police station. From there the rest of the detainees were then taken to El Raml police station where they were kept until they were thrown along the ring road, barefoot, with no IDs money or mobile phones. Yucef however was not with them. Since that day nobody has seen him.

During their search for Yucef and the others the lawyers accidentally found out that the Raml prosecution has already questioned Yucef, in the absence of his lawyers and accused him of drug abuse (Hsashish) and possession of arms (pocket knife) and decided to detain him for 4 days!! The prosecution refused to grant his lawyers access to see him.. the police station denied them access to a visit and refused to take the food they had brought him.

Today, Monday 22nd of November, Yucef did not show up in the court house. Today was the last day of the 4 day detention where he was, by law, to present in front of the prosecution. The Public attorney of Alexandria prosecution refused to grant his father, a former judge, permission to visit. Trying on his own at the police station during visiting hours 4 – 5 pm, the father failed to see his son.

This sequence of kidnapping, beating and fabrication of charges brings to mind the events surrounding the killing of Khaled Said, raising concerns regarding the life and safety of Yucef Shabaan.

We can find no explanation for the disappearance of Yucef all this time, and withholding him from his lawyers and family, other than the possibility that he is badly hurt, probably subjected to torture leaving severe marks on his body and face, which officer Khaled Shalabi decided to hide waiting for the injuries to heal.

El Nadim Center demands an immediate release of Yucef Shabaan and holds Minister of Interior Habib el Adly and the Public Prosecutor responsible for the life and safety of Yucef.

It also demands an immediate and impartial investigation in the violation of the safety and rights of Yucef Shabaan and depriving him from meeting his lawyers and family

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