Six Egyptians arrested from homes as prosecution investigates support for Global March to Gaza
The decision was made despite the lack of evidence that the accused committed any crime, according to a Wednesday statement from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), which is providing legal defense to some of the detainees.
The six people were arrested in mid June, at the same time as authorities cracked down on foreign nationals who were entering Egypt to join the Global March to Gaza, a popular initiative for international volunteers to come to Egypt and travel en masse to the border with the Gaza Strip to break Israel's siege on Palestinians there.
Authorities arrested the six people from their homes, EIPR lawyer Lobna Darwish told Mada Masr.
EIPR said the six accused were forcibly disappeared before appearing a few days later at the State Prosecution, which accused them of the standard charges leveled at those arrested for political expression: joining a terrorist organization and publishing false news.
During interrogations, the six were questioned about joining a private group on a social media platform which included discussions about joining the Sumud convoy, a separate but parallel initiative to the Gaza march that aimed for 1,000 people to travel by land across North Africa toward Egypt also aiming to break the Israeli siege. Authorities interrogated them about the convoy itself, its aims and who was behind it.
In response, the six defendants stressed that they did not join the convoy since it did not receive the required security approvals from the Egyptian authorities, stressing that they have acted in compliance with Egyptian law, committing no crime.
The Sumud Convoy suspended its operations in mid-July following days of intimidation, including the arrests of several participants by eastern Libyan authorities. Egyptian authorities did not grant approval for the convoy to cross the border. Organizers of the Global March to Gaza also called off the procession, after clashes with authorities who conducted arrests targeting participants.
During the detention renewal session this week, the prosecution dismissed a complaint appealing the ongoing imprisonment of one of the defendants, who is 67 years old and suffering from several health conditions including hypertension and diabetes, said EIPR. It also turned a blind eye to the lawyers' arguments regarding the lack of evidence proving the accusations against the six.
In its statement, EIPR, which appointed lawyers for several of the accused Egyptians, called for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained for displaying solidarity with Gazans, adding that any display of solidarity or condemnation of Israeli crimes 'should be in line with Egypt's officially stated position on Palestine.'
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