In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, 12 local and international human rights organizations–including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International–called on the Egyptian government to release prisoners detained without charge and limit use of the Emergency Law to terrorism and drug trafficking cases, as was promised by government officials last month.
The statement specifically mentioned 113 prisoners arrested under the Emergency Law in cases unrelated to terrorism or drug trafficking. The statement went on to note that HRW officials had received assurances from the Egyptian Interior Ministry that the prisoners in question would be released by the end of this month, either directly or by court order.
It also pointed out that the Interior Ministry had systematically ordered arrests in cases related to freedom of expression, illegal migration and sectarian strife, and had ignored subsequent court orders for the detainees’ release. This, the statement noted, raised doubts as to whether the government would keep its promises regarding the longstanding Emergency Law.
According to HRW Middle East and North Africa Division Director Sarah Leah Whitson, Egypt should keep its earlier vows to limit the application of the Emergency Law to terrorism and drug trafficking cases. “The whole world is watching,” Whitson said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
