ECWR denounces the detention of more than 70 male and female legal activists of the April 6th Youth Movement, which signifies the decline of freedom in Egypt and a violation of activists’ rights in general, particularly for women. It reminds us of the events that occurred on “Black Referendum Day” in 2005 and the situation last year on April 6th, when various violations against women took place.
Egyptian security forces transformed Kasr El Ainy Street and El Tahreer Square in downtown Cairo into a military zone, preventing activists from demonstrating peacefully. Furthermore, it is tragic that security forces beat women and cut their clothes in the streets, which is all reminiscent of the “Black Referendum Day” that occurred on the steps of the Syndicate of Journalists and came as a response to Constitutional Amendments made. These situations demonstrate that security forces use harassment as a tool for suppression, and as result many activists were forced to run and hide inside the entrances of buildings and inside the Agricultural Credit Bank.
Activists were physically assaulted, transported by police trucks and detained, following the confiscation of their identification cards and mobile phones. El Tahreer Square and Abdul Monem Riyadh Square were filled with female police officers to prevent any women from demonstrating and to pursue and inspect female activists. Therefore, women that happened to be downtown were fearful and ran down the streets to avoid any inspections. Security used inspection as a tool of repression and this is a violation of the law, as its role is to protect citizen and make streets safe.
From ECWR’s viewpoint, the state’s response conveys the seriousness and danger of the Emergency Law in Egypt and further confirms that the claim made by the President was a lie, as he assured Egyptian people that this law would only be used to combat terrorism. This law was used to violate the right to peacefully assemble and deny freedom of expression, which the Constitution guarantees. This event also contradicts the President’s commitment to make a qualitative shift on the level of women’s political participation.
ECWR wonders if the President only means the political participation of women in the ruling party is important.
These violations contradict international agreements signed by Egypt. As the Vienna Declaration stated that all forms of violence against women, including institutional violence, must be condemned, and article (1) specifically includes, “Physical and psychological violence committed or neglected by the State” In addition, article (3) of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) states that “States Parties shall take in all fields, in particular in the political, social, economic and cultural fields, all appropriate measures, including legislation, to en sure the full development and advancement of women, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men.”
ECWR sees these detentions as a serious violation of the Constitution and of international conventions. ECWR further warns of the serious repercussions this event will have on the political participation of youth, specifically young women. Such detentions contradict all claims made by officials to improve efforts and activate youth’s political participation.
ECWR extremely denounces:
- The detention of men and women activists.
ECWR demands:
- The prosecutor to seriously follow the procedures of investigating and punishing the security offices that used harassment and violence against men and women activists, so as to prevent this method from becoming the acceptable routine used by security.
- The National Council for Women, The National Council for Youth and The National Council for Human Rights to work to prevent suppression and violence used on activists and ECWR further demands that the councils put a stop to these practices that negatively affect the participation of women and youth in public work.
- All civil society organizations and concerned people to join the activists in solidarity and protest and condemn all forms of violations against the freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly.
