Tactics and tools for the protection
of Human Rights Defenders

Cairo 2 March 2009

Today the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information condemns the security forces kidnapping of Facebook activist Rami al-Swisi from his home. This morning at 3:30am, shortly before the break of dawn, al-Swisi was seized along with his cell phone and his laptop. He has been taken to an unknown destination.

Officers and armed police soldiers broke into the home of Rami al-Swisi in Haram - Giza and searched it. They took some of his personal property including his cell phone, laptop, and wallet, and took him in a Toyota car with the license plate number 403767 to an unknown place.

Ahmed Maher, an activist with the 6th of April movement, told ANHRI that Rami told him that he received calls from state security officers demanding him to appear in front of them. When he refused, he was threatened several times in an attempt to pressure him into leaving the 6th of April movement.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information says that it is clear a lack of punishment of the police for the crime of kidnapping Philip Rizk and Dia Eddin Gad on Feb 6th, encouraged them to perpetrate the same crime for a third time in less than a month. We have to press hard on the prosecution to bring these officers to court, especially because we know the number of the car plate that kidnapped him, ANHRI added.

Rami al-Swisi, 21, studies in a language institute and is an activist in the 6th of April youth movement “I Need to Take My Right Back” - http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readm... ".

Information about Philip Rizk’s kidnap http://www.anhri.net/egypt/nadeem/2... http://www.anhri.net/en/reports/200... http://www.anhri.net/en/reports/200...

Information about Dia Eddin Gad’s kidnap http://www.anhri.net/en/reports/200... http://www.anhri.net/en/reports/200...