• EGYPT
  • December 23, 2015
  • 7 minutes read

2015 Heavy Harvest: Junta Regime in Egypt Kills 24 Students, Jails 1010 More

2015 Heavy Harvest: Junta Regime in Egypt Kills 24 Students, Jails 1010 More
In 2015, the ruling regime in Egypt, with all its institutions, committed many forms of violations, bans and restrictions against students in Egyptian universities and institutes, with ferocious campaigns of wholesale arbitrary arrests and mass military trials in ‘special’ courts for students opposed to the regime, as well as enforced disappearance crimes routinely committed almost every day against university students, in addition to killings outside the framework of the law, adopted by the junta regime as their chosen method to suppress opponents of their military rule.

In fact, the illegitimate regime in Egypt has shown blatant, total disregard for all international laws and conventions and Egyptian laws, all of which include explicit provisions criminalizing such practices, considering them crimes punishable by law.

As the year 2015 draws to a close, Freedom Seekers Monitor (FSM) reports the junta regime’s most heinous violations against Egyptian university and institute students during this year (the past 350 days, to be more precise).

– FSM has documented 24 extrajudicial killings outside the framework of the law against Egyptian university and institute students by coup security agencies.

– FSM has also documented 1010 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention (without warrants) of Egyptian university and institute students. That is an average of 3 such arrest and detention incidents every day. We have also found that approximately 39.6% of arrested students were subjected to the horrid crime of enforced disappearance.

Here are some details of students who were arbitrarily detained in 2015 (most of these are still being held in junta jails):

Cairo University: 98 students (9.7%); Helwan University: 29 students; Ain Shams University: 42 students (4.15%); Alexandria University: 81 students (8%); Zagazig University: 19 students; Mansoura University: 77 students (7.6%).

Private colleges, institutes and universities: 155 students were arbitrarily arrested and detained (15.3%); Ismailia, Port Said and Suez Universities: 11 students; Aswan University: 4 students; Assiut University: 23 students; University of Fayoum: 43 students (4.25%); Minya University: 12 students; Bani Suef University: 11 students; Sohag University: 7 students; University of Qena: 2 students; Menoufia University 46 students (4.5%); University of Banha: 14 students.

Damanhur University: 14 students; Damietta University: 11 students; Tanta University: 18 students; Kafr El-Sheikh University: 16 students; Azhar University: 277 students, 27.4% of the total number of students subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention in junta prisons in 2015.

– Of the students who were arrested arbitrarily, FSM documented that 140 (134 male and 6 female students) were referred to military trials, in flagrant violation of Article No. 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Egypt signed, pledging to abide by its terms.

– Although all international conventions clearly criminalize subjecting anyone to enforced disappearance under any circumstances, we have documented a large number of enforced disappearances against students in Egyptian universities and institutes. FSM monitored 400 cases (390 male and 10 female students) where junta authorities committed the heinous crime of enforced disappearances for varying lengths of time: more than one crime of enforced disappearance a day on average.

– FSM also documented 286 students arbitrarily expelled from Egyptian universities and institutes by university administrations for political and ideological reasons, in blatant violation of their right to education, their right to embrace ideas, and their freedom of expression, which are guaranteed in international conventions and even in the Egyptian Constitution.

In conclusion, as Egyptian state apparatuses persist in their repressive policies, FSM strongly denounces these atrocities since they are evidently blatant violations of international and domestic laws and freedom of thought, opinion and expression, and because they result in reprehensible repression and restriction of legitimate criticism and opposition to the regime, which could exacerbate societal strife and division among university students and increase their sense of hostility towards the state, and all that can have undesirable consequences.

FSM Recommendations:

First: Release all students detained arbitrarily for political opinion issues.

Second: Start serious and extensive investigations into extrajudicial killings of students, hold accountable those involved and bring the culprits to fair and prompt trials.

Third: Reveal the locations where students have been forcibly disappeared by security services. Release those students or let them be seen by the competent investigating bodies, only if they are found guilty of punishable crimes.

Fourth: Abolish all military trials for civilians. Refer them to the normal civil courts.

Fifth: University administrations must be made to repeal decisions that arbitrarily dismissed students, who should go back to their classrooms.