Egyptian activist Mohammed Abdul Rahman disappeared for 21 days amid a wave of arrests of human rights defenders

Egyptian activist Mohammed Abdul Rahman disappeared for 21 days amid a wave of arrests of human rights defenders

Human rights activist Abdul Rahman was abducted by state security forces at his house in Cairo on October 31, 2018. On November 21, he reappeared at the office of the state security prosecutor in Cairo, where he was accused of "joining an illegal group" and "inciting harm to the national economy", and placed in pre-trial detention.

On October 31, 2018, at around 11 p.m., state security forces broke into, and raided, Abdul Rahman’s house in Cairo. They arrested him without a warrant and took him to an unknown location. At the same time, the officers arrested his wife, Aisha Mohamed Khairat Saad Al Shater. For 21 days, Abdul Rahman’s fate and whereabouts remained unknown.

On November 11, 2018, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances sent a communication to the Egyptian authorities requesting that they clarify Abdul Rahman’s fate and whereabouts. Ten days later, he was presented before the state security prosecutor in Cairo, who accused him of "joining an illegal group" and "inciting harm to the national economy", and ordered his pre-trial detention.

On March 4, 2019, Egyptian authorities replied to the communication sent by the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, stating that Abdul Rahman was charged in Supreme State Security Court Case No. 1552/2018 and is detained at Tora Prison, Cairo.

Abdul Rahman’s arrest took place amidst a wave of arrests occurring in late October 2018, which targeted at least 40 human rights lawyers and activists.

 

Timeline

March 4, 2019: Egyptian authorities reply to the communication sent by UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, stating that Abdul Rahman was charged in Supreme State Security Court Case No. 1552 of 2018 and is detained at Tora Prison, Cairo.
November 24, 2018: State security prosecutor orders pre-trial detention
November 21, 2018: Reappears at the office of the state security prosecutor in Cairo
November 11, 2018: The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances sends a communication to the Egyptian authorities requesting them to clarify Abdul Rahman’s fate and whereabouts.
November 7, 2018: MENA Rights Group requests intervention of UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
November 6, 2018: MENA Rights Group requests intervention of UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
November 1, 2018: Arrested by state security forces in Cairo and disappears