Inquisition back again! Two Egyptians sentenced to 6 months in prison Sudan

Cairo, December 17, 2007

The organizations signing this statement condemn and denounce the court sentence issued yesterday, Sunday, December 16, 2007 against 2 Egyptian citizens in Sudan to the charge of insulting Islam. A Sudanese court issues a sentence yesterday against 2 Egyptian citizens; Abdel Fattah El-Sadany (30 years) and Mahrous Mohammed Abdel-Azim (30 years) - working in an Egyptian publishing house - to imprisonment for six months on charges of insulting the Islamic religion on the background of their distributing a book about Al-Sayeda Aisha (Prophet Mohammed’s wife) during their participation in Khartoum International Fair book.

The whole issue started on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 when the Sudanese security authorities have arrested both Abdel Fattah Al-Sadany & Mahrous Mohammed Abdul Azim. They are working for Madbouly publishing House in Egypt on the charge of insulting Islamic religion as they had distributed a book entitled “The Prophet’s wife eats her children up”, by the Syrian writer Nabil Fayyad - that includes criticism against Al-Sayeda Aisha - during their participation on behalf of Madbouly Publishing House in the Khartoum International Book Fair.

Eyewitnesses said the force that arrested the 2 Egyptian workers was accompanied by members of the fundamentalist group of Ansar AlSunna. It was one of the Islamists had bought the book from the headquarters of Madbouly Publishing House in the book fair. He then informed the authorities against the house and its workers. The defendants were sent to the speedy trial - was perhaps one of the fastest trials in history - & were found guilty yesterday and were sentenced to six months in prison amidst security & judicial conditions that can not guarantee justice and the independence of the judicial ruling. News came to tell that the defendants did not have a lawyer attending in a clear violation to Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The defendants can appeal against the sentence within 15 days from the time of its issuing. In all cases the 2 defendants will spend the Muslim feast “Eid Al Ad’ha” away from their family in a very bad psychological conditions in a prison where the situation is inhuman.

It is noteworthy that this is not the first former first incident of suppressing freedoms & consication of books in the Sudanese Book Fair. The last year’s Book Fair also witnessed confiscation of all Shiite books and the closure of the headquarters of Iranian publishing houses in the Book Fair, and deporting members of the Iranian delegation to their country. This year, the Book Fair also witnessed the confiscation of several books about Shiite beliefs and a book on Darfur crisis, “Darfur, history of war and genocide”.

The organizations signing here condemn this unjust sentence against the 2 Egyptian citizens and consider it as a violation against freedom of opinion and expression, and a violation of the right to a fair trial, a rights endorsed by international human rights treaties ratified by the Sudanese government, and is part of the internal Sudanese laws according to the Sudanese Constitution. And therefore they and call on the Sudanese authorities for the immediate release of the 2 Egyptian citizens in custody in fulfillment to the provisions of the law and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and also taking into account the humanitarian conditions of two innocent people charged of a crime that they didn’t commit.

The organizations signing here also Call on Egyptian authorities as well all organizations & bodies in and outside Egypt to intervene for the immediate release of the defendants in custody and to take all legal and diplomatic procedures to ensure an end to this humanitarian situation as soon as possible.

Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
Hisham Mubarak Law Center
Nadeem Center for Psychological Therapy and Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence
Egyptian Association Against Torture
Habi Center for Environmental Rights
Habi Center for Environmental Rights
The Civil Observatory of Human Rights Association
Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies
United Journalists Center
Arabic Program for Human Rights Activists
Arabic Association for Supporting Civil Society & Human Rights
Association of Freedom of Thought & Expression

http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/20...