• EGYPT
  • March 31, 2015
  • 6 minutes read

Human Rights Report Documents Egypt Students Forced Disappearance

Human Rights Report Documents Egypt Students Forced Disappearance

 With the passage of every day, the number of students subjected to enforced disappearances continues to increase, while total silence on the part of Egypt’s current regime as well as local and international human rights organizations has helped these violations to escalate to frightening proportions, threatening the very future and personal security of Egyptian students.



This Freedom Seekers Monitor (FSM) report details some cases of students who are still subjected to enforced disappearances by Egyptian security forces in places of detention is unknown until this moment. Students details are listed below in order of disappearance:


1. On December 14, 2014


Security forces arrested Moathz Mohamed Ateyya, a first-year student, Faculty of Theology and Advocacy, Al-Azhar University in Mansoura. He was arbitrarily rounded up, contrary to law, then subjected to forced disappearance. Until this moment, no-one knows where he is, despite the fact that the student’s father reported the incident at Derb Nagm Police Station (in Sharqiya Province), and to Mansoura Attorney General.


Information received by the student’s father indicates his presence at the National Security headquarters; but the management there vehemently denies the presence of the student.


2. On December 16, 2014


Security forces arrested Omar Hussein Abdel-Wahab, a student at the Faculty of Arts, Department of Archaeology, University of Minya, from the Faculty where he was studying. They took him to an unknown destination, and subjected him to forced disappearance. They have not disclosed the place of his detention until now.


3. On February 24, 2015


Security forces arrested Assem Higazi, a first year student at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mansoura. We received news and reports to the effect that he has been tortured at Mahala Police Station. But so far, the police station management is denying the existence of the student there.
 
4. On March 7, 2015
– Security forces subjected Abdul-Khaliq Al-Masry, a student at the Faculty of Education, Al-Azhar University in Mansoura, to forced disappearance.


– Security forces abducted Omar Essam El-Fayoumi, student at the Technical Institute for Laboratories, Al-Azhar University.


Police took him to an unknown location, after beating him severely until he lost consciousness. Although witnesses have confirmed seeing the student in the evening of his disappearance and until noon the following day held at the Heart Center (medical establishment) surrounded by heavily guarded  by security forces, all police stations and departments have denied the existence of the student at their detention centers.


Witnesses at the Heart Center confirmed seeing the student accompanied by members of the security forces, adding that his face was swollen and that he showed signs of severe physical torture. Although the Center conducted an electrocardiogram (ECG) on the student and the result indicated grave deterioration of his health and an urgent need for treatment (according to witnesses’ accounts), security forces made Heart Center doctors sign a statement reporting that the student was in good health and did not need any medical care.


Enforced disappearance constitutes a threat to humanity and human rights. Atrocities carried out by current authorities in Egypt are a clear and flagrant violation of provisions of the International Convention for the Protection of Persons from Enforced Disappearance. In the second paragraph of Article I of the Declaration stipulates that " No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification for enforced disappearance".