Tactics and tools for the protection
of Human Rights Defenders

24 February 2011


The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists follows up with deep concern and disturbance the attempt of attacking the prominent human rights advocate Amir Salem, Head of the National Association for Human Rights on Wednesday 23/02/2011 while filing a complaints against the former president Mohammad Hosni Mubarak and the former interior minister Habib al-Adli, on the background of the order to shoot the protestors in Al Tahrir Square in the revolution of January 25.

After submitting the complaints to the Attorney General and during his exit, Salem was surprised by the attack of more than forty of the security men dressed in civilian clothes, however, the intervention of the armed forces stationed in front of the High Court stopped the assault and rescued him.

The Program demands the Attorney General to investigate this incident, especially as we are at a crucial stage of Egypt’s history that need reconciliation between the police men and the Egyptian society in general and between them and human rights activists in particular, after a long history of oppression and attacks on men who fought for a quarter of century to protect the rights and freedoms in this country.

The Program believes that the attack on Salim, in such circumstances is a setback to the government who pledged of the termination of the era of oppression and
repression that adopted the slogan of "security above all".

The Program asserts its full and unlimited solidarity with Salem and confirms that the incident is regarded a violation of the right to bodily integrity set forth in Article (7) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and must not be ignored, especially in light of the Declaration of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to respect all international treaties and its commitment to its provisions.

The Program calls upon the Attorney General to quickly start an urgent investigation on the assault on Salem to determine who is behind this attack and to announce those responsible and to bring them into accountable regardless of their positions and responsibilities.

The Program also appeals to the human rights activists to stand in solidarity with Salem against what could be considered the beginning of attacks on the activists and human rights advocates to turn us to the dark ages.


 

يتابع البرنامج العربي بقلق بالغ وانزعاج شديد محاولة الاعتداء علي الناشط الحقوقي البارز/أمير سالم رئيس الجمعية الوطنية لحقوق الإنسان أمس الأربعاء 23 Ùبراير 2011 وذلك ÙÙŠ أعقاب انتهاؤه من تقديم بلاغ ضد الرئيس السابق محمد حسني ومبارك وحبيب العادلي وزير الداخلية السابق علي خلÙية الأمر بإطلاق النار علي المعتصمين ÙÙŠ ميدان التحرير من شباب ثورة 25 يناير.

Ùما إن انتهي سالم من تقديم بلاغه للنائب العام وأثناء خروجه Ùوجئ بأكثر من أربعين من رجال الأمن يرتدون الثياب المدنية يحاولون الاعتداء عليه لولا تدخل القوات المسلحة الرابضة أمام دار القضاء العالي لحدث ما لم يحمد عقباه.

إن البرنامج العربي يضع هذه اقعة أمام السيد النائب العام للتحقيق Ùيها ØŒ وخاصة أننا ÙÙŠ مرحلة حاسمة من تاريخ مصر وظر٠راهن نؤكد Ùيه علي ضرورة المصالحة بين رجال الأمن والمجتمع المصري بشكل عام وبينهم وبين نشطاء حقوق الإنسان بشكل خاص بعد تاريخ طويل من القمع والاعتداءات علي رجال ناضلوا منذ ربع قرن لحماية الإنسان وحقوقه وحرياته علي أرض الوطن.

ويعتقد البرنامج العربي أن الاعتداء علي سالم ÙÙŠ مثل هذه الظرو٠يمثل انتكاسة

 
 
 
 
 
 

Arab Program for Human Rights Activists
2 Yassen Ragheb off Gamal El Din Kassem st., 1st floor, flat no. 3,Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt
Tel.:(202) 22753975- 22753985
Fax: (202)22874073
E.mail: aphra aphramail.org
Web site: www.aphra.org