Egypt still detains 129 pro-Palestine protesters despite mediating Gaza ceasefire
An Egyptian rights group has urged the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to release all those held in pre-trial detention over their opposition to Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, as the ceasefire came into effect.
According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), around 129 people detained since October 2023 remain in custody, including two minors, as a result of their participation in peaceful acts of opposition.
“EIPR joins the call by the families of those held in pretrial detention for the authorities to release dozens of pro-Palestine detainees, in line with the president's recent statement in which he said that Egypt ‘defends and stands with the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people’, which is the very same thing those in detention tried to do,” the organisation said.
“They tried to defend the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people by voicing their solidarity, either through demonstrating, raising banners, writing slogans on the street or on social media, or even through fundraising for humanitarian relief.”
Those detained have been held in pre-trial detention in connection with 10 different cases and charges, the group said.
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Sisi said shortly after Israel’s military campaign began that “millions of Egyptians” were ready to take to the streets in protest against the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
Yet, his government has overseen an intense crackdown on those who took part in protests or online campaigns calling for a ceasefire.
Breach of criminal law
The EIPR said that 42 protesters and bystanders in Cairo and Alexandria were detained on 20 October, two days after Sisi’s remarks, and charged with breaching the anti-terrorism law and held in pre-trial detention.
Those detained include 22-year-old Abdel Samad Rabie, who took part in a protest in response to Sisi’s call.
Rabie spent most of his childhood receiving leukaemia treatment and still needs regular medical treatment, said the EIPR. Prior to his arrest, he was a fresh graduate from the Arab Open University, where he was a recipient of a scholarship from the Children's Cancer Hospital 57357.
Rabie requires a cardiovascular follow-up once every six months, the rights group said, citing hospital reports.
Other detainees include 31-year-old former army officer Karim Orabi, who was wounded three times during his service in Sinai, in addition to students Ali Adel, who suffers from optic neuropathy, and Amr Reda, a business school student.
The EIPR added that the case includes men who are the sole breadwinners of their households, such as Ahmed Sayed Amin Abdo, who has a wife and four children, worker Mohamed Karim Salama and lawyer Ahmed Abu Zeid, a father of two.
Security forces on 27 October 2023 also detained 11 pro-Palestine protesters in Cairo near al-Azhar mosque, and they remain in custody. The EIPR also documented the arrest of two minors, 17 years old, in March after they wrote slogans against the war on Gaza on a bridge in Cairo. They have been held at Dar al-Salam police station since their arrest and have been denied family visits, the EIPR said.
Another case includes six young men detained in April from Alexandria after raising a banner calling for the opening of the Rafah border crossing and the release of pro-Palestine detainees.
Unlawful crackdown
The EIPR said the crackdown is unlawful and contradicts Egypt's criminal code.
“EIPR stresses that pretrial detention is strictly a precautionary measure that, according to Article 134 of the Criminal Procedures Law, must only be resorted to where there is a fear of the accused fleeing or absconding; or a fear that the integrity of the investigation will be compromised, or if it is necessary to prevent grossly compromising security and public order,” the group said.
“This criminal procedure code provision does not apply to any of the aforementioned defendants or any of the others, including children and students, and others with known jobs and specified places of residence, and who have families that need their care.”
Despite its public opposition to Israel’s war, the Sisi government has suppressed pro-Palestine action over the past 15 months, which has included the detention of at least 250 football fans, students and women's rights activists.
Sisi has been criticised for enabling Israel’s siege on Gaza during the latest conflict, and for allowing state-linked companies to profit from the movement of people and aid via the Rafah crossing.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have concluded that Israel’s war on Gaza amounted to genocide. The International Court of Justice is currently hearing a case brought by South Africa in December 2023, accusing Israel of breaching the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The court has since issued multiple interim orders recognising the plausibility of South Africa's case.
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