The arrival of Uyghur student “Bilal Abdul Karim” in Canada. The Egyptian Commission calls for the resettlement of members of the Uyghur minority in Egypt and an end to the restrictions on them
Chinese citizen from the Uighur minority, Bilal Abdul Karim, arrived in Canada as part of the resettlement procedures, after 8 years spent with his family in Egypt. He had decided to complete his studies in Cairo since 2015, which ended with his arrest and imprisonment by a decision of the Public Prosecution, before his release and the decision of the UNHCR to resettle him, while his family, wife and children will join him on August 23.
Over the past years, after many forms of security restrictions and arrests, the number of members of the Uyghur minority in Egypt has decreased since 2017, leaving only 43 people. The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms and the Refugee and Migrant Rights Program are calling for their resettlement for fear of further violations.
On 21 March, security forces arrested Bilal Abdul Karim in front of his house and confiscated his passport, while his wife presented an UNHCR asylum seeker registration card. However, the police did not provide any information about his arrest or whereabouts.
After about 7 days of his arrest and detention in an unknown location, he appeared at the Nasr City Prosecution, which interrogated him in connection with Case No. 1193 of 2023 (Nasr City Misdemeanors), accusing him of “illegal trade in foreign currency outside the banking market and at black market prices.”
The prosecution decided on March 28th to release Abdel Karim on bail of 100 thousand pounds, but he was unable to pay it, and remained in detention, until June 26th 2023, when the Misdemeanor Court of Appeal of Nasr City released him on bail of 30 thousand pounds, a decision that the prosecution appealed, but the court rejected the appeal on the 27th and upheld the release.
Following the payment of bail, UNHCR decided to resettle him in Canada, where he arrived on the morning of August 10, after 7 days of disappearance and more than 170 days of pre-trial detention.
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms stresses the need for the Egyptian authorities to stop practicing any violations or restrictions on the Uyghur minority in Egypt, respect the laws and international conventions signed thereto, which prevent any illegal detention or return of any asylum seekers to their country of origin, and commit to ensuring their safety.
