Istanbul – January 25, 2018
Arab Media Freedom Monitor “Ikshef” represented by its coordinator in Turkey Abu-Bakr Khallaf took part in an event including NGOs from Turkey and Egypt led by Human Rights and Justice Movement iHAK which came together in a press conference held on 24th January in Istanbul and called on Egyptian authorities and international Community to stop the executions of political prisoners.
After the military coup in Egypt hundreds of people were sentenced to death. The decisions of death penalties of civilians were given in the military courts. None of them had the opportunity to have a fair trial, and they were found guilty by confessions under torture. Death penalties for 23 prisoners were executed recently and according to the information received, approvals for execution of 25 people have been completed and they can be executed at any time in the following days.
Press Statement
STOP THE EXECUTIONS IN EGYPT!
In Egypt that has spent nearly the whole of 70 years under military rule, state of emergency policies have been implemented since 1980’s, fundamental rights and freedoms have been suspended due to security reasons, authoritarian practices against opponents have been increased systematically. Hosni Mubarak’s rule that lasted for 30 years between 1981-2011 was also referred with repression and systematic violations, and when the poverty and difficult living conditions were added, the oppressed people stood up and the streets, squares were stirred with the motivation of Arab Spring wind. In the wake of joint protests by different political and ideological groups and people in mass as symbolized in Tahrir Square, Hosni Mubarak had to resign on 25 January 2011.
After Supreme Council of the Armed Forces rule lasted for 1,5 year following the Popular Revolution, the decision of holding first free presidential elections in Egypt’s history was made. Mohamed Morsi was the first elected president to take office on the date of 30.06.2012. The first elected president Morsi was overthrown in a coup by the Egyptian Army led by General Sisi supported by the USA, Israel, Saudi Arabia and UAE. So, the Egyptian people found themselves again under the rule of a junta regime.
Sisi Regime’s coup period was quite bloody. The massacres against anti-coup civilian groups, extrajudicial executions had shown that a terrifying term had started. Republican Guard Massacre, Manassa Massacre, Rabaa Massacre, Ramses Square Massacre were only some of the examples could be given. Hundreds were killed in these massacres and the total loss couldn’t be estimated yet. Blames of Sisi’s Regime soldiers and armed gangs called Baltageya were put on anti-violence civilians by intense detentions, torture in custody and prisons, testimonies taken under torture. Political prisoners who generally cannot have legal assistance have been tried in military courts and civilian courts. Politicians, scholars, intellectuals, jurists, non-governmental organization leaders, academics, young people, journalists and activists were tried on serious crimes without being provided the access to fair trial. Death penalty decisions were made in these trials. 109 people in 2013, 509 people in 2014, 538 people in 2015 and 237 people in 2016 were sentenced to death, some of them more than once. In Egypt lastly 15 people on 26 December 2017 and 4 people known to be members of Muslim Brotherhood on 2 January 2018 were executed due for allegations of terrorist attacks. According to the statements of their lawyers and human rights institutions, mentioned people were abducted by Egyptian security forces, any news about them were not received for a long time and the said counts were admitted before the military courts with testimonies taken under torture. Many political leaders like Mohamed Morsi and Mohamed Beltagy have also been inhumanly and unlawfully held in prisons as death row inmates. Most of the death penalty punishments given have been related to political cases and 81 out of them were executed in the last four years. Executions are made before informing the families and lawyers, and then relatives are called to take dead bodies and told to bury them without having funeral ceremony.
According to the latest information, there are 25 political prisoners whose all processes have been completed including Mufti approval and they could be executed at any time in the following days.
It is under everyone’s responsibility to prevent the executions of these people most of whom are young political prisoners. As the NGOs of Turkey, we are calling everyone to stop the execution decisions given unlawfully about these people just because they are opponents most of whom known to be civilian peace activists, scholars or journalists that didn’t involve in violence and we are calling everyone on duty to end the human rights violations in Egypt. Additionally, we are asking the international institutions and organizations of which Egypt is also a member state like Organization of Islamic Cooperation, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Arab Committee on Human Rights, United Nations Human Rights Committee, United Nations Human Rights Council and the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to send human rights delegations to Egypt and to establish effective diplomatic relations by making statements urgently to stop these executions. We are declaring that we hold those who support Sisi Regime foremost USA and Israel responsible for all executions and human rights violations to account before the law and we are calling them to cut this support.
It is under responsibility of whole humanity to prevent killing of an innocent human being in this world whatever her/his religion, language, race is. Let’s stop the executions in Egypt.
Signatory NGOs (in Alphabetic Order):
• Adalet Platformu
• Adaleti Savunanlar Derneği (ASDER)
• Adaleti Savunanlar Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi Derneği (ASSAM)
• Akabe Vakfı
• Aksa Eğitim ve Dayanışma Vakfı
• Anadolu Yakası Sivil Toplum Kuruluşları Platformu (AYSİT)
• Anayasa Hukukçuları Derneği
• Burak Derneği
• Cihannüma Derneği
• Davet ve Kardeşlik Vakfı
• Ensar Vakfı
• Genç Hareket
• Hazar Eğitim Kültür ve Dayanışma Derneği
• HUDER İstanbul Şubesi
• Hukukçu Akademisyenler Derneği
• Hukukçu Hanımlar Derneği
• Hukukçu Kadınlar Derneği (HUKAD)
• Hukukçular Derneği
• Hukukun Üstünlüğü Platformu
• İnsan Hakları ve Adalet Hareketi (iHAK)
• İnsan Hakları ve Hürriyetleri İnsani Yardım Vakfı (İHH)
• İnsan Hakları ve Mazlumlar İçin Dayanışma Derneği (MAZLUMDER)
• İnsan ve Medeniyet Hareketi
• İslam Dünyası STK’ları Birliği (İDSB)
• İstikamet Vakfı
• Kadın ve Demokrasi Derneği (KADEM)
• Mavi Marmara Özgürlük ve Dayanışma Derneği
• Medeniyet Vakfı
• Nisan Girişim Grubu
• Önder İmam Hatipliler Derneği
• Özgür Düşünce ve Eğitim Hakları Derneği (ÖZGÜRDER)
• Sadakataşı Derneği
• Toplumsal Hafıza Derneği
• Türkiye Gençlik Vakfı (TÜGVA)
• Türkiye Gençlik ve Eğitime Hizmet Vakfı (TÜRGEV)
• Türkiye Gönüllü Teşekküller Vakfı (TGTV)
• Türkiye Hukuk Platformu
• Uluslararası Doktorlar Birliği (AID)
• Uluslararası Hukukçular Birliği (UHUB)
• Uluslararası Mülteci Hakları Derneği (UMHD)
• Umran Hareketi
• Yedi Hilal Derneği
• Yeryüzü Adalet ve İnsan Hakları Derneği (YAİDER)
• Yeryüzü İyilik Hareketi
Egyptian Organizations
• Arab Media Freedom-Monitor “Ikshef”
• Arab Organization for Human Rights in the UK
• Egyptian Media Professional Abroad -EMPA
• El-shehab for Human Rights
• Human Rights Monitor
• Humanity Association
• Justice for Human Rights
• Najda for Human Rights
• Swiss Organization for Protection of Human Rights – SPH
• The International Association of Rights and Freedoms
Link to statement:
http://www.ihak.org.tr/en/news/call-from-turkish-and-egyptian-ngos-to-stop-the-executions-of-political-prisoners-in-egypt.html
