Advance unedited version
A/HRC/WGAD/2022/
religion, economic condition, political or other opinion, gender, sexual orientation, disability,
or any other status, that aims towards or can result in ignoring the equality of human beings
(category V).
Submissions
Communication from the source
4.
Omar Abdel Aziz Mohammed Abdel Aziz is an Egyptian national, born in 1998
ordinarily resident in Cairo, Egypt. At the time of his arrest, he was a student at the faculty
of Islamic Studies at Al-Azhar University and is single.
5.
Khaled Mohamed Abdel Raouf Sahloob is an Egyptian national, born in 1992. He
used to live in the city of Mahalla al-Kubra, Egypt. Mr. Sahloob is a photojournalist and is
single.
6.
Hossam Abdel Razek Abdel Salam Khalil is an Egyptian national, born in 1981
usually resident in Giza Governorate, Egypt. Mr. Khalil is an engineer and a member and
head of the Human Development Affairs Department of the Freedom and Justice Party. He
is married and has three children.
7.
Mohammed Abdel Aziz Farag Ali is an Egyptian national, born on 25 January 1966.
He usually resides in Qalyubia Governorate. Mr. Ali used to work for a company and is
married with children.
Context
8.
According to the source, Mr. Abdel Aziz, Mr. Sahloob, Mr. Khalil and Mr. Ali were
arrested as part of a large-scale crackdown on peaceful dissidents carried out by the Egyptian
Government. The source alleges that, since President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi took power in
2013, standards of fair trial and due process have not been respected and accusations against
peaceful dissidents have been based on weak or absent evidence.
Arrest and detention: Omar Abdel Aziz Mohammed Abdel Aziz
9.
According to the source, Mr. Abdel Aziz was first arrested on 27 November 2014,
when he was still a minor. He was arrested by security forces while he was at one of his
friends’ house. Mr. Abdel Aziz was detained on remand for almost two years, before his case
was referred to the court. He was then allegedly sentenced to three years in prison on
politically motivated charges, before being released in 2017, three months before the end of
his third year in prison.
10.
Reportedly, Mr. Abdel Aziz was arrested a second time, on 21 July 2018, at 12pm.
The source reports that Mr. Abdel Aziz was arrested at a checkpoint by several national
security agents in plainclothes, while he was in public transport. It is alleged that Mr. Abdel
Aziz was taken to an unknown location and subjected to enforced disappearance for one
month.
11.
On 22 August 2018, Mr. Abdel Aziz was reportedly brought for the first time before
the Military prosecution, charged under a Military Case with joining an outlawed group
aimed at disrupting the rule of law, participating in a criminal arrangement to damage public
and military properties and killing military personnel, and joining an armed gang, with the
aim of disturbing national security. He was also charged with possessing firearms without
authorization, and using violence against persons, intimidating them, and inflicting material
and moral harm against them.
12.
The source explains that, on 22 March 2020, after almost one and a half year in pretrial detention, Mr. Abdel Aziz was sentenced to 10 years in prison. An appeal was filed on
his behalf and the sentence was reduced to three years, which he had already served. The
source claims that, instead of being released, he was subjected to another two months of
enforced disappearance, before being charged under a new case with joining a banned
organization.
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