التاريخ : الخميس 19 سبتمبر 2024 . القسم : Rights and Freedoms

The will of the people is behind bars - Ninety detained MPs


Dr. Mohamed Emad Saber

Egyptian Forum (Parliamentarians for Freedom)

Ninety detainees is the number of MPs of the People's Assembly and Shura Council who were elected by the Egyptian people in the fairest parliamentary elections witnessed by the country after the January 2011 revolution, in which about 26 million Egyptians participated.

91 Members of Parliament, including prominent figures such as politicians, experts, scientists, university professors, statesmen, and community leaders, were elected by millions of Egyptians from across Egypt's governorates to represent the legislative authority of the state. These MPs, who are supposed to serve the people, are currently being unjustly detained in the prisons of the ruling regime.

The absence of these representatives has revealed the encroachment of executive authority on all other branches of government. It has also exposed the lack of people's authority to question and hold a corrupt regime and failed governments accountable. As a result, the lives of citizens have become an unbearable hell day after day, pushing the Egyptian state to the verge of failure and bankruptcy. This is due to excessive borrowing, extravagance in building palaces, and the oppression and stinginess experienced over citizens. The tyrannical authority is propped up by a formal People's Assembly hand-picked by the executive branch to legitimize corruption. As a result, the people are left without honest defenders of their rights after the arrest of the parliament representatives of the revolution.

Since 2013, the Egyptian regime has committed numerous violations of the law against these MPs. These violations include arrests, investigations, accusations, preventing and arresting lawyers, violating the rights of detainees and prisoners, enforced disappearance and torture, violating the right to fair trials, preventing visits to prisoners, deliberate medical neglect, and physical torture, which has led to the death of 13 representatives in detention so far. For example, Dr. Essam El-Erian, who was the head of the Foreign Relations Committee in the People's Assembly. They have been involved in extrajudicial killings, including the assassination of MP Nasser Al-Hafi, who was the Deputy of the Complaints and Proposals Committee in the People’s Assembly.

The list of detained MPs includes Dr. Saad Al-Katatni, Speaker of the People's Assembly. It is worth noting that three MPs were sentenced to death: Dr. Al-Beltagy, Dr. Osama Yassin, and Engineer Amr Zaki. The stories and tragedies of MPs in prisons, as well as those killed in cold blood inside and outside prisons, are too numerous to count.

The Egyptian regime's attempts to eliminate any legitimate political action and close the public sphere to any peaceful transfer of power and various political projects by continuing to imprison and fabricate cases against MPs elected by the people and punishing them for their previous role in establishing a democratic experience will worsen conditions for the Egyptian people. This is due to the complete closure of political work paths and the resulting deteriorating economic and social conditions.

The risks that Egypt has faced over the past 11 years have had a significant impact on its citizens and sovereignty. This has emphasized the importance of uniting all efforts to help Egypt overcome its crisis. It is crucial for the Egyptian elite and every patriot to demand the release of all members of parliament and political prisoners during these difficult circumstances left by the brutal dictator. This would allow everyone to contribute to resolving Egypt's predicament. We urge every individual who despises injustice, and every organization dedicated to upholding human rights, to take action in securing the release of political prisoners in Egypt, particularly members of parliament.

Deceased MPs:

Name        Death         Party      Governorate

Nasser Al-Hafi / Assassination  /   FJP   /      Qalyubia

Mohamed Sayed Ramadan Morsi / Assassination in Rabaa / FJP    /   Beni Suef

Seham Abdel Latif Al-Gamal /    Assassination in a demonstration   / FJP  / Dakahlia

Essam Al-Erian /   Inside the prison / FJP    /   Giza

Hamdi Hassan /   Inside the prison /    FJP   /    Alexandria

Abdel Azim Ahmed Al-Sharqawi /   Inside the prison /   FJP   /    Beni Suef

Khaled Sayed Nagi /  Inside the prison /   FJP   /    Beni Suef

Mohamed Mohamed Al-Falahi / Inside the prison /  FJP    /    Damietta

Hesham Al-Qadi /  Inside the prison /  FJP    /  Qena

Ahmed Khater /  Inside the prison /  FJP   /  Beheira

Farid Ismail /  Inside the prison /  FJP   /  Sharqia

Adel Radwan Othman Mohamed /  Inside the prison /  FJP   /  Sharqia

Ragab Mohamed Abu Zeid/  Inside the prison / FJP    / Menoufia

Ahmed Mahmoud Mohamed Ibrahim /   Inside the prison /  FJP   /  Suez

Al-Mohammadi Abdel Maqsoud  /  Inside the prison /  FJP   /  Cairo

Mahmoud Tawfiq Abdel Aal / After detention  / FJP  /  Gharbia

Mahmoud Youssef Mahmoud / After detention  /  FJP /  Qena

Mohamed Hamed Ahmed Sherit / After detention  / FJP  /  Assiut

Najah Nabit / After detention  /  FJP /  Gharbia

Hamdi Radwan / After detention  /  FJP /  Gharbia

Ali Ahmed Mohamed Omran / After detention  /  FJP /  Minya

Hamdi Khalifa Mohamed / After detention  /  FJP /  Minya

Mohamed Hassan Aref Metwally / After detention  / FJP  /  Minya

Ahmed Abdel Shafi / After detention  /  FJP /  Cairo

 

Death while being a fugitive in another country:

 

Abdel Rahman Shukry /  FJP  / Beni Suef

Dr. Hussein Ibrahim /  FJP  / categories Alexandria

Mustafa Mohamed Mustafa /  FJP  / Alexandria

Mohamed El Azabawy /  FJP  / Gharbia

 

Enforced disappearance:

 

Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed El Naggar /  Justice Party /  Cairo

 

Totals

Detainees 90

Extrajudicial killings 3

Deaths due to medical negligence in prisons 13

Deaths after detention  9

Forcibly disappeared to date 1

Death while being a fugitive in another country 4

Total 120