A/HRC/WGAD/2021/42
informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for the arrest and that this requirement applies
broadly to the reasons for any deprivation of liberty.
27.
Furthermore, in accordance with principle 10 of the Body of Principles for the
Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, anyone who is
arrested should be informed at the time of arrest of the reason for the arrest and should be
promptly informed of any charges him or her. The same requirement is reflected in article 14
(3) of the Arab Charter on Human Rights.
28.
The source claims that the two journalists were arrested without having been shown a
warrant or having been provided with a legal explanation for the reasons for their arrests,
which renders the arrests arbitrary and in violation of the two men’s right to liberty.
29.
The source states that the right of persons not to be subjected to enforced
disappearance is considered non-derogable, even in a state of emergency. According to the
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,
people deprived of liberty must be held only in a place of detention that is officially
recognized. States must ensure that no one is held secretly in detention and should provide
the detainee’s family and lawyer with accurate information on the detention.
30.
The source claims that Mr. Gharib was forcibly disappeared for four days after his
first arrest and for another 41 days following his release order. Mr. Elsayed was forcibly
disappeared following his arrest for three consecutive months.
31.
According to the source, the Government has increasingly turned pretrial detention
from an exceptional legal measure to a punitive tool used systematically against journalists,
human rights defenders and members of the political opposition in general. Instead of being
released, Mr. Gharib was accused under a second case, while he was completing his release
procedures under the previous case.
32.
The source claims that the purpose of this systematic practice is to keep opposition
members and critics behind bars indefinitely. This practice has come to be known as “the
recycling of cases” or “rotation”. It is alleged that the new charges faced by Mr. Gharib were
simply revived versions of the old charges. This allegedly confirms that the prolonged
detention of Mr. Gharib is arbitrary, without legal basis and politically motivated and that, as
such, it has fundamentally jeopardized his right to liberty, in violation of article 9 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 9 of the Covenant.
Category II
33.
The source claims that the arbitrary detentions of Mr. Gharib and Mr. Elsayed are
attributable to their profession as journalists and are part of a crackdown on freedom of
expression in Egypt.
34.
The source claims that journalists in Egypt have been targeted for detention and
sentencing under terrorism-related charges. These practices allegedly constitute violations of
the obligations of Egypt under international law to protect and promote the right to freedom
of expression enshrined in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article
19 of the Covenant. Moreover, any restrictions imposed on this right should only be such as
are provided by law and necessary on the grounds set out in article 19 (3) of the Covenant.
Category III
35.
According to the source, the detentions of Mr. Gharib and Mr. Elsayed are arbitrary
because the two men have been denied their right to due process.
36.
The source submits that, in accordance with principle 15 of the Body of Principles for
the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, communication
of the detained or imprisoned person with the outside world, and in particular his or her
family or counsel, should not be denied for more than a matter of days. Furthermore, in its
general comment No. 32 (2007) the Human Rights Committee stated that a detainee has the
right to have prompt access to legal counsel, which means that a lawyer is granted the right
to have private communication and meetings with the detainee and to attend all the
investigations without interference or restrictions.
4