A Sudden Search at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms Headquarter in Cairo: a New Chapter in the State’s Plan to Terminate Human Rights Work in Egypt
Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
Press release
Cairo, October 21, 2016
After raiding its Cairo headquarter on Thursday October 20th morning, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms warns against any future measures to be taken by authorities in a bid to stop or hurdle the organization’s work.
On October 20, 2016, a group of four, who claimed their affiliation to the Investment Authority, suddenly attempted to search the organization’s headquarter in Agouza district, in Giza, in a bid to carry out a sudden scan to the place and workers. When the four were asked about the search warrant, they refused to show any warranty, their ID cards or any other document that might support their action of searching the place. At that early time in the morning, there was only one person at the office; accordingly, they surveyed the place and asked for meeting the organization’s directors.
It is thought that one of the four belonged to the police apparatus, but he was in a civilian outfit like the others. One of the organization’s lawyers moved to the headquarter once he was informed about the search, and met with the group. With their refusal to show any official warrant to search the place, or show any documents denoting their identity. The organization’s lawyer refused to let them search the headquarter, consequently, they left while hinting with closing the headquarter.
Fortunately, none of our staff members or directors was harmed; however, ECRF will take all the possible legal procedures to know the real reasons behind this action.
This came as part of a systematic campaign against civil society organisations working on defending human rights in Egypt. The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms’ staff has been repeatedly targeted by security forces; for example, in the past few month, security forced arrested Mr. Ahmed Abdallah, ECRF’s board director, who spent 5 months in detention on the back of April 25th, 2016 protests. Mr. Mina Thabet, was arrested for one month for the same accusations. Previously, Mr. Mohamed Lotfy, ECRF’s executive director, was banned from travel during summer 2015 when he was flying to Germany to attend a discussion on Human rights situation in Egypt, without any legal basis for such an action. In the same year, 2015, other four staff members were arrested while doing a field work in Al-Khosous district as part of a research on housing conditions in the district. Moreover, many media presenters and newspapers who support the government have smeared ECRF and its director in an attempt to defame the place and harm its reputation.
