arrested three members of his family and took them to the Al-Masara security headquarters, in Helwan. While we do not wish to prejudge the accuracy of these allegations, we would like to express our grave concern at the allegations of arbitrary arrests, detention and ill-treatment, including through physical and , intimidation of family members, coerced false confessions and poor conditions of detention to which Messrs. Metwally Ibrahim have reportedly been subjected to, which, if confirmed, will amount to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, a violation of their rights to liberty and security, due process guarantees, freedom of expression and religion. Should the facts alleged above be confirmed, they would amount to a violation of the absolute and non-derogable prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as codified in Articles 2 and 16 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), acceded to on 25 June 1986. These acts would also constitute a violation of Articles 7, 9, 10, 14, 18, 19 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Egypt ratified on 14 January 1982. We are seriously concerned about the current conditions of Mr. Abdelrahman and in particular that his life may be in danger. In this regard we recall article 6 of the ICCPR, which states that every individual has the right to life and security of the person, that this right shall be protected by law, and that no person shall be arbitrarily deprived of his or her life. We would further like to highlight that there is a positive obligation on states to take all necessary measures to protect the lives of those held in custody/deprived of liberty and to prevent arbitrary deprivation of life by their law enforcement officials and agents (Human Rights Committee, General Comment No. 31 and 36). We wish to remind your Excellency’s Government that legal systems that place a premium on confessions to establish criminal responsibility risk creating conducive environments to ill-treatment of detainees during investigations. We reiterate that law enforcement officials are obliged to respect and protect the inherent dignity and physical and mental integrity of all persons under questioning, including suspects, witnesses and victims (Human Rights Council resolution 31/31). We wish to also reiterate that interrogation rules, instructions, methods and practices should be kept under systematic review with a view to preventing cases of torture and other illtreatment (CAT, art. 11) and recall that counsel must be present during all interview interrogations, in their entirety (A/68/295, para 44). We also wish to refer your Excellency’s Government to article 9 of the ICCPR on the right to liberty and security of person. In particular, we underline that arrest or detention as punishment for the legitimate exercise of the rights as guaranteed by the Covenant, including articles 19 and 22, is arbitrary, and that enforced disappearances, even for a short period violate numerous substantive and procedural provisions of the Covenant and constitute a particularly aggravated form of arbitrary detention (Human Rights Committee, General Comment 35). Moreover, we would like to recall that state security and enforcement officials have the obligation to follow legal arrest procedures, 3