-Caveat Lector- : * News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty : International * : AI Index MDE 12/028/2000 : News Service Nr. 175 : 19 September 2000 : Egypt : Muzzling Civil Society : "Human rights activists, political opponents and journalists are : targeted : among others by the Egyptian authorities because they peacefully : exercise : their rights of freedom of expression." Amnesty International said in a : report released today. : In the report "Muzzling the civil society", Amnesty International said : "The authorities in Egypt are sending a clear message to the country's : civil society by detaining and imprisoning, those who publicly criticize : or oppose the government's policies." : The report highlights how people in Egypt continue to be imprisoned for : "offences" which merely amount to the exercise of their rights to : freedom : of expression and association. : For example during the period leading up to the parliamentary elections : due in October and November 2000, the risk of opposing activists to be : detained has increased significantly. : In the latest clampdown, hundreds of alleged Muslim Brothers have been : detained under broad charges, such as "membership of an illegal : organization". By the end of August 2000, at least 150 of them were : still : in detention. : A group of 20 professionals, including a former member of Parliament, : accused of membership of the banned Muslim Brothers organization is : being : tried before a military court since the end of last year. The verdict : was : due to be pronounced in July 2000, but has been postponed until 7 : November : which fits in the pattern of the government sparing no effort in : preventing political opponents from participating in the elections. : During the nineties, new Egyptian legislation has progressively : restricted the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and : association. These include the Anti-terror Law, the Press Law and the : law on Civil Associations and Institutions. : Journalists have been imprisoned for libelling officials. On 8 April : 2000 : an appeal court upheld the sentences of two years imprisonment of Magdi : Hussein and Salah Badawi, in a libel case brought against journalists of : an opposition party's newspaper, al-Sha'ab (The People), by a government : minister. Issam al-Din Hanafi, cartoonist of the newspaper, was : sentenced : to one years imprisonment in the same case. The newspaper al-Sha'ab has : been banned from publication since May 2000. : Human rights defenders and NGO activists have been targeted for : reporting : on human rights violations in the country. Hafez Abu Saada, Secretary : General of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) was : detained : in December 1998 in connection with an EOHR report on human rights : violations in the predominantly Coptic Christian village of al-Kushh. : In February 2000 the General Prosecution Office announced that the case : against Hafez Abu Saada would be referred for trial before the : (Emergency) : Supreme State Security Court (ESSSC). However, subsequently Hafez Abu : Sa‘ada received oral assurances from the authorities that his case would : not be pursued. : Members of religious groups are among others targeted for exercising : their : right to freedom of belief. Manal Wahid Mana'i, the alleged leader of a : religious group and several of her followers were arrested at the end of : the year and accused of attributing divine status to a late Sufi : religious : leader. On 5 September, she was sentenced to five years' imprisonment : and : 12 of her followers received sentences ranging from six months to three : years' Imprisonment. : Freedom of expression in Egypt is also threatened by armed Islamist : groups : who failed to revoke calls for the killing of civilians whom they : consider : to be political enemies or "atheists", including intellectuals, writers : and academics. : Amnesty International calls on the Egyptian authorities to comply with : its : international obligations and to release immediately and unconditionally : all prisoners of conscience, who are detained for their political, : religious or other conscientiously held beliefs and who have not used or : advocated violence. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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