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DemocracyAlerts

From time to time, the World Movement for Democracy issues alerts concerning participants and other colleagues who are, or may be, facing personal danger due to their work on behalf of democracy and for whom a vigorous response from around the world may be critical.

To see previous alerts go to www.wmd.org/democracyalerts/democracyAlerts.html.

(July 19, 2007)

Democracy Alert: Media and Government Campaign Escalates against Egyptian Human Rights and Democracy Defender Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim

According to the Egyptian independent daily AL-DOSTOUR, Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a prominent Egyptian-American sociologist and human rights activist known for his opposition to the government, has been advised by senior public figures and decision-makers not to return to Egypt from abroad. According to AL-DOSTOUR, government officials are holding Dr. Ibrahim responsible for the US decision to freeze US$200 million in aid to Egypt. Also, the government has filed two lawsuits against him aimed at closing down the Ibn Khaldoun Centre for Development Studies, over which he presides. It is alleged that Dr. Ibrahim has violated the law and the Constitution by violating Egypt's NGO laws that prohibit NGOs from taking part in political activities and by harming Egypt's national security and national interests. Dr. Ibrahim's lawyers argue that the real motive behind this persecution is his staunch criticism of President Mubarak and the government.

Also, on May 30, Mr. Amr Tharwat, an employee at the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies, was arrested by Egyptian State Security at his families' residence in Cairo's Matereya district. Mr. Tharwat was the major organizer of the recent Shura Election monitoring as well as the Ibn Khaldoun public opinion polling that was carried out earlier this year. In addition to Mr. Tharwat, the Egyptian authorities arrested four other people staying at the house of Dr. Ahmed Sobhy (Adellatif Mohamed Saied, Ahmed Dahmash, Abdelhamed Abdelrahman, and Ahmed El Sayed) and confiscated files, books, and computers that were found on the premises.

Beginning on June 21, several democracy organizations began sending letters and issuing press releases condemning the heightened public campaign against Dr. Ibrahim. They believe that he expresses his opinions peacefully inside and outside Egypt, and that the Egyptian authorities should debate or engage him with similarly peaceful means and intentions. The organizations speaking out on Dr. Ibrahim's behalf include the Al-Kawakibi Center for Democratic Transitions in Amman, the Arab Institute for Human Rights, the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights, No Peace without Justice, Freedom House, the Democracy Coalition Project, and the Council for a Community of Democracies.

This group of democracy organizations also condemns the efforts of some members of the ruling party who have submitted a request to the general prosecutor in Egypt demanding that Dr. Ibrahim be retried on charges, on which he has already been acquitted. Moreover, they have expressed concern for Dr. Ibrahim's health.

In addition to heading the Ibn Khaldoun Centre for Development Studies, Dr. Ibrahim is a member of the International Steering Committee of the Community of Democracies Nongovernmental Process. He is also a member of the Eminent Persons Group of the World Movement for Democracy's Defending Civil Society project, along with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former Czech President Vaclav Havel, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The Defending Civil Society project aims to identify and promulgate international norms and principles that secure the rights of civil society organizations and activity, but that are being increasingly violated by various governments around the world. The project also seeks to strengthen international solidarity among democracy-promotion and human rights NGOs around the world.

For more information, go to: www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/76570.html

For more information (in Arabic), go to: http://id3m.com/D3M/ImageView.php?image=p14-002-26062007.jpg&Number=1&ID=79494

To see the press release by Al-Kawakibi Center for Democratic Transitions, go to: www.wmd.org/documents/demalertjuly2007egypt2.pdf

To see the letter from Freedom House, the Democracy Coalition Project, and the Council for a Community of Democracies to Egyptian President H.E. Hosni Mubarak, go to: www.wmd.org/documents/demalertjuly2007egypt1.pdf

For more information on the arrest of the employee of the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies Mr. Amr Tharwat, go to: www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_news.php?main_id=324

For more information on the arrest of Mr. Amr Tharwat (in Arabic), go to: www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/show_news.php?main_id=325

For a press release by No Peace without Justice on the arrest of Mr. Amr Tharwat, go to http://tinyurl.com/2zvdtt

For previous Democracy Alerts for Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, go to: www.wmd.org/democracyalerts/feb1102.html