{"id":34048,"date":"2023-04-04T12:40:33","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T10:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afteegypt.org\/?p=34048"},"modified":"2023-08-09T15:10:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T12:10:04","slug":"aftes-newsletter-march-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afteegypt.org\/en\/advocacy-en\/2023\/04\/04\/34048-afteegypt.html","title":{"rendered":"AFTE’s Newsletter: March 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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AFTE’s\u00a0Newsletter: March\u00a0<\/strong>2023<\/span><\/h3>\n

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In March, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) monitored Egypt’s state and problems of freedom of thought and expression. Through its various units’ activities, AFTE issued a report on\u00a0the book fair and a press statement in solidarity with Mawaddah al-Adham,\u00a0 signed several joint statements with other human rights organizations, and launched campaigns and videos. These activities aimed to\u00a0take a deeper look at some of the issues of freedom of thought and expression currently raised and provided legal aid in cases related to freedom of thoughts and expression.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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1. Publications<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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In its report\u00a0Banned from the Cairo International Book Fair<\/a>\u00a0AFTE monitored a number of violations at the 54th Cairo International Book Fair\u00a0related to freedom of expression and the right to creativity, between preventing publishing houses from participating, ordering books to be removed from shelves, or preventing giving a registration number.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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2. Statements<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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AFTE condemned\u00a0the Court of Appeal\u2019s decision to reject\u00a0Mawaddah al-Adham\u2019s appeal against her six-year prison sentence and 200,000-pound fine<\/a>\u00a0in the case known in local media as \u201cthe TikTok girls\u201d. The court\u2019s decision is final and cannot be appealed.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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3. Joint Statements<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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AFTE undersigned\u00a0Solidarity statement with poet Galal El Behairy on the 5th anniversary of his arbitrary arrest and his announcement of a hunger strike<\/a>\u00a0and called the Egyptian authorities for his release.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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AFTE and 31 other\u00a0Civil Society Organizations\u00a0condemned the Public Prosecution\u2019s decision to\u00a0refer\u00a0three female journalists from the independent Egyptian media outlet Mada Masr to the Economic Court<\/a>\u00a0on charges of insulting members of parliament (MPs) of the pro-government Mostaqbal Watan Party and misusing social media.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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38 Rights Groups\u00a0undersigned\u00a0a joint statement<\/a>\u00a0regarding\u00a0egregious and collective violations of human rights taking place at Egypt\u2019s Badr Rehabilitation and Correctional Center after\u00a0recent reports of numerous suicide attempts and hunger strikes among detainees due to the nature and scale of abuses taking place.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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4. Letters<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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AFTE sent a\u00a0letter<\/a>,\u00a0signed by other human rights organizations,\u00a0to the\u00a0Attorney General requesting urgent action to release Galal El Behairy after he has gone on a hunger strike and is refraining from taking his heart and depression medications and called for his immediate transfer\u00a0to the prison hospital to receive appropriate treatment.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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5. Legal Aid<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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–\u00a0Ziad Abo El-Fadl and Khaled Abdel Mohsen<\/a>\u00a0released under the guarantee of their place of residence<\/span>
\n–\u00a0Amr Hussien and Mahmoud Abdel Ati<\/a>\u00a0released under guarantee of their place of residence
\n–\u00a0AFTE demands to reopen the investigation into\u00a0Ayman Hadhoud<\/a>\u2019s death incident after the Public Prosecution decided to close the investigations
\n–\u00a0The pretrial detention of\u00a0Ahmed Oraby<\/a>\u00a0was renewed for 15 days
\n–\u00a0The pretrial detention of\u00a0four defendants<\/a>\u00a0renewed for 15 days after posting calls for demonstrations in protest against poor living conditions
\n–\u00a0AFTE submits a report to the attorney general regarding poet\u00a0Jalal Al-Behairi\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0hunger strike and demands his release
\n–\u00a0Court of Cassation to adjudicate\u00a0Moka Hegazy\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0appeal against her two-year prison sentence on March 25
\n– After being physically assaulted by authorities, the pretrial detention of\u00a0Mohamed Abou Mandour<\/a>\u00a0renewed for 15 days for posting about poor living conditions
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews translator\u00a0Marwa Arafa\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days as her third year in pretrial detention approaches
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews student\u00a0Mohamed Ahmed Saad\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days despite exceeding 3 years in pretrial detention
\n–\u00a0Supreme State Security Prosecution renews\u00a0Mohamed Raafat Nasr\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 15 days
\n–\u00a0Borg El-Arab Prosecution in Alexandria renews the detention of master\u2019s student\u00a0Moaaz Rizk<\/a>\u00a0for 15 days
\n–\u00a0Supreme State Security Prosecution renews\u00a0Mohamed Abdel Aal Abou El-Dahab<\/a>\u2019s detention for 15 days
\n–\u00a0Journalist\u00a0Ahmed Abdel Majid<\/a>\u00a0released
\n–\u00a0AFTE files\u00a0appeal against Helwan University\u2019s president and dean of the university\u2019s Faculty of Art Education<\/a>\u00a0for refusing to hire Sarah El-Taher for lack of security approval
\n–\u00a0AFTE files\u00a0appeal against Syndicate Of Artists<\/a>\u00a0for refusing Ayman Elsayed\u2019s enrollment to the Syndicate
\n–\u00a0Ahmed Nabil Ebrahim<\/a>\u00a0released under the guarantee of his place of residence
\n–\u00a0Despite going on hunger and medicine strike since March 5, The detention of\u00a0poet Jalal Al-Behairi<\/a>\u00a0was renewed for 45 days
\n–\u00a0Supreme State Security Prosecution renews doctor\u00a0Hamed Sedeek\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 15 days
\n–\u00a0Supreme State Security Prosecution renews\u00a0Mohamed Abou Mandour\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 15 days for calling for demonstrations on Facebook
\n– Supreme State Security Prosecution renews\u00a0Mohamed Abdel Aal Abou El-Dahab<\/a>\u2019s detention for 15 days
\n–\u00a0Administrative Judicial Court to examine\u00a0AFTE\u2019s appeal against Syndicate Of Artists<\/a>\u00a0for refusing Ayman Elsayed\u2019s enrollment to the Syndicate on April 9
\n–\u00a0Supreme State Security Prosecution renews\u00a04 defendants\u2019\u00a0<\/a>detention for sharing their opinions on poor living conditions
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews\u00a0Nour Ibrahim\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days on charges of contempt for religions
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews the detention of Aljazeera Mubasher\u2019s journalist,\u00a0Rabea Elsheikh<\/a>, for 45 days
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews\u00a0Mohamed Raafat Nasr\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews\u00a0Momtaz Lotfy\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days for posting a video about the Gamasa Prison fire
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews journalist\u00a0Medhat Ramadan\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days despite exceeding maximum period of pretrial detention
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews the detention of retired employee\u00a0Salah Elqadi\u00a0<\/a>for 45 days
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews Agricultural engineer\u00a0Ashraf Elgamal\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews\u00a0Gaber Mahmoud Badawy\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days for calling for November 11 demonstrations
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews\u00a0Mohamed Amer Abdel Aziz\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews Socialist Popular Alliance Party member\u00a0Wessam Salah\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews lawyer\u00a0Ahmed Nazeer El-Helw\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days
\n–\u00a0Despite exceeding maximum period of pretrial detention; Criminal Court renews\u00a0Ahmed Al-Tohamy\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews\u00a0Ahmed Moussa\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days despite exceeding maximum period of pretrial detention
\n–\u00a0Because of Facebook posts; Supreme State Security Prosecution renews\u00a0Ahmed Oraby\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 15 days
\n–\u00a0Criminal Court renews\u00a0Sherif El-Rouby<\/a>\u2019s detention for 45 days despite suffering from severe inflammation of the seventh nerve and his inability to speak<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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6. Campaigns\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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AFTE\u00a0launched a campaign on the one-year anniversary of the death of the Egyptian economic researcher, Ayman Hadhoud, after he was forcibly arrested in broad daylight without committing a crime. After more than two months, a decomposed corpse appeared in the mental health hospital in Abbasiya. You can reach the campaign through hashtag\u00a0#TruthForAymanHudhoud<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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On International Women’s Day, we call attention to the dire conditions and human rights violations women endure in Egyptian prisons. Especially the forgotten women in prisons, to ensure that their voices will remain heard and that their stories will not be forgotten. You can access the campaign through hashtag\u00a0#FreedomForEgyptianWomen<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Jalal AlBehairi begins a hunger strike five years after being imprisoned for writing “Balha” song. He discontinued taking heart and depression meds, and\u00a0 AFTE launched a campaign to free Jalal Al-Behairi.\u00a0You can access the campaign through hashtag\u00a0#FreeJalalAlBahiri<\/strong><\/p>\n

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7. Videos<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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With suicide attempt reports, wholesale violations against Badr Prison3 detainees, a visit ban, and authorities blacking out the prison, we re-publish this video and call for human rights organizations to be allowed to visit the prison.\u00a0 #TheirRightToHumanDignity<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n