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The undersigned organisations urge the Human Rights Council to act urgently to respond to the violent repression of demonstrations currently underway in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.  The Human Rights Council cannot be a passive bystander of such events, during which the lives of ordinary citizens have been taken or put at risk through violent and unlawful repression. Hundreds of thousands of people in several countries have taken to the streets to peacefully call for their fundamental rights and freedoms to be…

Military police investigations has summoned colleague and lawyer Ahmed Ragheb, director of Hisham Mubarak Law Center tomorrow, Tuesday, 10 a.m. (22 Waley El Ahd street – Hadaek El Kobba – Cairo) regarding the attack by military police on the center on the 3rd of February 2011. Raghib had filed a complaint to the military prosecutor against military police regarding the break into the center, the destruction of its property and the arrest of all present on the 3rd of February. It was therefore expected that Raghib be summoned…

Eight young activists were arrested Tuesday the 4th of January 2011 from a solidarity gathering in Shubra. For hours lawyers and activists gathered yesterday in front of the North Cairo prosecution to demand the release of their colleagues. The eight activist were made to sign an acknowledgement today of their referral to an urgent trial tomorrow morning in the Rod El Farag court of demeanor, a procedure recently used by authorities against democracy activists Ahmed Doma (Justice and Freedom movement – Cairo) and Hassan…

Twelve human rights organizations under the umbrella of the Forum for Independent Egyptian Human Rights Organizations strongly condemn the bombings which took place on New Year's day targeting worshippers leaving Saints Church in Alexandria after New Year's church service. The bombings killed 22 and injured at least 97 others according to official figures. Until the writing of this press release no group has claimed responsibility for this crime. Forum organizations denounce this terrible massacre which ushered in the new…

Saturday’s events in Alexandria, Egypt are a worrying development consolidating the repressive approach adopted by the Ministry of Interior in dealing with peaceful protests. The Egyptian security used excessive force against peaceful protestors and youth activists who staged peaceful protests in Alexandria demanding the Ministry of Interior to end torture and other abuses and stop covering up for criminals and using false witnesses to enforce impunity. Security forces physically assaulted a number of activists, among them…

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…

Like thousands of Egyptian young people Ahmed Doma, poet, blogger and media officer of the committee of prisoners of conscience dreamt of a life free of an emergency law, and security persecution of activists. On the 3rd of May 2010 Doma responded with other young people to a call by several MPs and representatives of Egyptian political groups to participate in a demonstration from the Omar Makram mosque in down town Tahrir square to the People's Assembly to submit a petition concerning democratic change, drafted by a wide…

Excerpts from the testimony of a survivor held in Madinet Nasr SSI headquarters: They handcuffed me for 60 continuous days, even when I was asleep.. they locked me up in a cell, about 30 meters underground.. the officer told me: nobody knows you are here except the minister of interior.. as soon as I entered the place I was met by a reception of abuse that would shame anybody to hear.. they swore at my mother and myself with the most obscene words.. they accused me of several things,, stripped me of my clothes and then…

El Nadim Center for the Rehabilitation of victims of Violence received the following information regarding the disappearance of the defendants in the so called Hezbollah case from Tora prison. Upon their visit to the prison on the 18th of July 2010the families of the prisoners were told by the prison administration that their relatives were not in the prison. Inquiring about their whereabouts they were told that "they are not here and we do not know where they are", which constitutes a case of forced disappearance in…