AFTE’s Newsletter: August 2023

Date : Sunday, 3 September, 2023
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The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) shares with you the publications, statements, and campaigns it produced over the past month, in addition to the legal updates of lawsuits in which AFTE provides legal support to prisoners of conscience, or to academics who were subjected to abuse and security prosecutions for expressing their opinions.

We always welcome any inquiries or clarifications from everyone through our social media platforms or via the following email:[email protected]

Research Papers

 

Continued targeting| Profile of Manar al-Tantawy: Continued targeting over political background
 

Since 2014, academics have been exposed to an extensive and systematic violations represented in administrative investigations, disciplinary procedures, and penalties that may reach dismissal if they expressed their political opinions; universities also have undertaken roles of oversight over the personal lives of professors.

AFTE documents the violations to which Dr. Manar Al-Tantawy was exposed and is still being exposed through an endless series of investigations, disciplinary councils, and penalties, preventing her from obtaining a professorship degree despite fulfilling all the requirements and obstructing her return to the position of head of the mechanical engineering department at the institute, just for being the wife of the former political prisoner Hesham Gaafar, for more.

Advocacy

 

AFTE published a statement on the fourth anniversary of the translator and activist Marwa Arafa’s birthday inside prison, renewing its demand for the speedy release of Arafa, who did not commit any crime to face this fate. It also called on the Presidential Pardon Committee to place Arafa’s name on the list of those released soon so that she can live her normal life and take care of her child daughter, for more.


 

AFTE signed a joint statement in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Rabaa massacre, which claimed the lives of more than 817 people, including women and children, opposing the overthrow of former President Mohamed Morsi.  Despite the passage of an entire decade since this massacre, no political or military official has been legally held accountable for the grave violations that took place during the dispersal of the sit-ins, which caused the largest mass killing of demonstrators in the history of Egypt at the hands of the security, For more.


 

AFTE and various human rights organizations condemned the referral of Manar Al-Tantawy, the assistant professor at the mechanical engineering department at the 10th of Ramadan Higher Technological Institute, for investigation by the Institute’s management. This comes within the context of many continued violations and abuses against her when she demanded her legal right to assume the post of the head of the department after she apologized for the position in October 2020 for health reasons. The institute’s refusal to allow Tantawy to head the department was based on security reasons related to her being the wife of a former political prisoner. for more


 

AFTE and the undersigned organizations demand that Egyptian authorities comprehensively close lawsuit No. 173 of 2011, known as the “Foreign Funding lawsuit.” The Egyptian Ministry of Justice issued a statement announcing the dismissal of criminal cases against 75 organizations, with ten other organizations remaining under investigation and remaining under punitive measures imposed through the case, including asset freezes and travel bans. for more.


Legal Aid

 

– The Criminal Court renewed the detention the two social media content creators Ahmed Tarek Hassanein and Basma Hegazy, for 45 days, over a sarcastic video they participated in, for more.

–  The Criminal Court renewed the detention of academic Ahmed Altohamy for 45 days, Altohamy was arrested on June 3, 2020, over accusations of collaborating with the Egyptian activist Mohamed Sultan, who is residing in the United States, in the case Sultan filed against the former Prime Minister Hazem Al-Beblawy, for more.

–  the Supreme State Security Prosecution released Ahmed Hassanein Mohamed Moussa under the guarantee of his place of residence after more than three years in pretrial detention, for more.

–  the Criminal Court renewed the detention of four students aged between 17 and 19 years old, who were arrested for creating a satirical event on Facebook titled “Batman Helwan,” for 45 days, for more.

– the Criminal Court renewed the detention of translator and political activist, Marwa Arafa, for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 570 of 2020 (Supreme State Security), in which Arafa is detained since April 2020, for more.

– the Criminal Court renewed the pretrial detention of Amr Abdel-Moneim, which exceeded four years, for 45 days, for more.

–  the Criminal Court renewed the detention of lawyer Saied Hassan Ali for 45 days, Saied appeared before the Supreme State Security pending this lawsuit after on July 7, 2021, after his release from another, for more.
–  the Criminal Court renewed the detention of student Mohamed Ahmed Saad for 45 days, pending investigations of “the Alliance of Hope lawsuit.” which included a number of political activists, although he was not involved in any political activity, for more.

–  the Criminal Court renewed the detention of the 67 years old former marketing director at Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company, Doctor Hany Soliman, for 45 days, for more.

–  the Criminal Court renewed the detention of Mohamed Mamdouh Abdel Halim pending his second lawsuit which he was listed in after a year and a half in pretrial detention, for more.

–  After exceeding 16 months in pretrial detention; Criminal Court extended TV presenter Hala Fahmy’s detention for 45 days, for more.

–  After arresting him for posting about poor living conditions; the Criminal Court renewed Mohamed Abou Mandour’s detention for 45 days, for more.

– Despite exceeding three years in pretrial detention; the Criminal Court renewed Hamed Sedeek’s detention for 45 days, for more.

– the Criminal Court renewed the detention of the two Al-Ahly football club fans, Ahmed Shaker Abou Elrous and Ali Othman Ali, they were arrested from Cairo International Stadium after a football match for Al-Ahly football club, for more.

– Cairo Criminal Court set next September 26 as a date to adjudicate lawsuit known as “Rabaa Operations Room” No. 2210 of 2014, in which journalist Hassan Al-Qabany is accused for similarity of names, for more.

– the Supreme State Security Prosecution renew the detention of two Zamalek football club fans, Amir Sayed Mohamed and Reyad Mohamed Abdel Rahaman, for 15 days, for more.

–  the Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of Gamal Ziada, the father of the journalist Ahmed Gamal Ziada. On August 22, a security force in civilian clothes arrested Ziada from Nahia village, Giza, the prosecution accused Ziada of spreading false news, while it didn’t confront him with any posts proving the accusation of spreading false news, as his Facebook profile is free of any political posts, and he only posts promotional materials for his work as a clothing workshop manager. for more.

– the Administrative Judiciary Court dismissed Cairo University’s appeal against the court’s ruling to appoint Hagar Ismael as a lecturer at the university’s faculty of science for lack of security approval, for more.

– the Disciplinary Council of the Teaching Staff at the Higher Technological Institute in the 10th of Ramadan City acquitted Manar Al-Tantawy, the assistant professor of the mechanical engineering department, of the accusations leveled against her of impersonating the head of the mechanical engineering department at the institute, for more.

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