Detention of ex president Morsi/Letter to the Egyptian military regime

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Saturday August 24, 2013 02:55

by Astrid Essed

Letter about the detention conditions of Morsi and his nine aides

Of course I am aware of the human rights violations by the Morsi regime, but since
I hold the opinion, that human rights have to respected under all circumstances,
regardless of the persons involved or the comitted/accused crime, I have written this
letter to General al Sisi, who by the way came into power in Egypt by a military coup.

DETENTION OF EX PRESIDENT MORSI/LETTER TO THE EGYPTIAN MILITARY
REGIME ABOUT THE DETENTION CONDITIONS OF MR MORSI AND HIS
NINE AIDES

SEE ALSO

http://www.astridessed.nl/egyptletter-to-general-abdel-...ides/

TO THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE

GENERAL ABDEL FATTAH AL SISI
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
CAIRO. ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT

SUBJECT

APPEAL TO YOU ABOUT THE VIOLATIONS
OF HUMAN RIGHTS AGAINST EX PRESIDENT
MORSI AND HIS NINE AIDES IN DETENTION

"No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.''

Article 9, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

'''Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.''

Article 10, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

Dear Field Marshal,

Hereby I want to draw your attention for the two urgent cases:

1

According to my information, ex president Morsi and five of his aides are held
in an unknown location without any access to a lawyer or contact with their families.
Morsi's five aides are also held in arbitrary detention, since they face no charges yet. [1]

2

The Public Prosecution has now formally detained four of Morsi's other aides [who have been arbitrarily
detained with the other five aides until their formal detention]],
his chief of staff Mr Refa'a al-Tahtawy, his deputy chief of staff Mr Assaad
al-Shikh, his office director Mr Ahmed Abdelaty and his security advisor Mr Ayman al-Hodhod [2]
Their detention place is known according to the media:
The Tora Prison, South of Cairo [3]

However, they still have no access to a lawyer or any contact with their family.

A

The arbitrary detention of Mr Morsi's five aides

The other five aides of Mr Morsi are still arbitrarily detained.

As you know, arbitrary detention is a serious violation of human rights, according
to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [article 9] and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
[article 9] [4]
International Law guarantees the right of any human being on a fair and impartial trial and of course,
access to a lawyer.
See article 10, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and article 14, International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [5]

All those rights [to a fair trial, access to a lawyer, the right to a lawful detention place as the right
to see their families] are denied to Mr Morsi's five aides, as to Mr Morsi, who faces charges.
That's inhuman and against International Law.

I take the liberty to remember you, that Egypt has signed and ratified International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [6]

B

The detention of the four aides of ex president Morsi

Although the Public Prosecution now formally detained them, they have been arbitrarily detained from 3 july, [the day of their arrest.
Also they are denied access to a lawyer and contact with their family
That's unacceptable

APPEAL TO YOU

Therefore I call on to you:

To grant Mr Morsi and his nine aides access to their families and lawyers.
To grant Mr Morsi and the four aides a fair trial.
To disclose the whereabouts of Mr Morsi and his five aides, whose place of detention remains unknown.
To immediately release the five aids, who are arbitrarily detained or else officially charge them and
give them a fair trial.

And last, but not least
To ensure a human treatment for all prisoners, regardless of the accused crime.

Respect for human rights is a universal obligation and written in the book of mankind.

I trust you will agree on that and fullfill those principles.

Your sincerely

Astrid Essed
Amsterdam
The Netherlands

[1]

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
EGYPT: FURTHER INFORMATION: MORSI'S AIDES DETAINED, FACING CHARGES
7 AUGUST 2013

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE12/042/2013/....html

[2]

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
EGYPT: FURTHER INFORMATION: MORSI'S AIDES DETAINED, FACING CHARGES
7 AUGUST 2013

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE12/042/2013/....html

[3]

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
EGYPT: FURTHER INFORMATION: MORSI'S AIDES DETAINED, FACING CHARGES
7 AUGUST 2013

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE12/042/2013/....html

[4]

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
ARTICLE 9

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS
ARTICLE 9

http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/b3ccpr.htm

[5]

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS

http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/b3ccpr.htm

[6]

RATIFICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS
BY EGYPT

http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/research/ratification-egyp....html

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Detention of ex president Morsi/Letter to the Egyptian military regime