News / Egypt

HRW urges halt to prosecution of Egyptian lawyer, judges

Tuesday, 07 June 2016 4:57 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 07 June 2016 4:57 PM ]

A woman holds a placard reading in Arabic, "Why did you kill foreigners? Did he do something to you?" during a rally in memory of Italian student Giulio Regeni on February 6, 2016, outside of the Italian embassy in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. (AFP photo)

Human Rights Watch has slammed Egypt for 'its prosecution of a rights lawyer and two senior judges', calling on the judiciary to drop charges against them and halt their questioning.

Nadim Houry, the HRW's regional deputy director, criticized Egyptian officials in a statement on Tuesday for conducting several sessions of questioning involving lawyer Negad Borai, saying he and two other judges are being prosecuted only for their contribution to an anti-torture law.

“In today's Egypt, not even members of the judiciary are safe and independent from the security-minded arms of the state,” Houry said, adding, “The authorities should be investigating those who torture, not those who are trying to improve Egypt's laws and bring them in compliance with international norms.”

If convicted, Boari faces up to 25 years in prison over charges that include the creation of an illegal organization, preventing state institutions from carrying out their duties and illegally receiving funds.

“Looks like they will jail me anyway… I just hope they don't do it until after Ramadan,” Borai said, referring to the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from food from dawn to dusk.

Officials also summoned earlier this month the two judges, Hesham Raouf and Assem Abdel-Gabbar, and they are scheduled to return for more questioning.

The investigation began after Borai and the judges sent a copy of the draft law to the office of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in April 2015.

Rights campaigners have censured Sisi and his security forces for their violent treatment of dissent. They say police under Sisi are acting with near total impunity, torturing suspects, abusing detainees and making random arrests.

Sisi came to power in 2014, a year after he helped oust the country’s first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, who is now in prison.

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