Latest news with #Selhi
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gaza march activists say participants in Egypt beaten, detained
CAIRO (Reuters) -Organisers of a march to the Egyptian border with Gaza said on Tuesday that three participants were abducted by plainclothes officers in Cairo amid a wave of arbitrary detentions, deportations and abuse by security forces. Egypt's interior and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to the allegations. Reuters could not independently verify the reported detentions or conditions. The Global March to Gaza, launched this month, brought over 4,000 activists from more than 80 countries to Egypt in an attempt to peacefully approach the Rafah border crossing and draw attention to Gaza's deepening humanitarian crisis. Since their arrival, dozens of participants said they have faced airport interrogations, deportations and roadblocks preventing access to the Sinai peninsula, which provides the land route to Gaza. In a statement on Tuesday, organisers said three international participants were forcibly taken from a Cairo cafe on Monday by security officers who did not identify themselves. Those named were Jonas Selhi and Huthayfa Abuserriya, both from Norway, and Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin and one of the march's organisers. The statement said that according to Selhi, all three men were blindfolded, beaten and interrogated. Abukeshek, he said, faced especially severe abuse. His whereabouts remain unknown, while Selhi and Abuserriya have since been deported to Norway, organisers said. Two security sources denied to Reuters that any detainees were treated violently as long as they adhered to procedures and security instructions until their deportation. The sources said that approximately 400 people have been deported, while fewer than 30 remain awaiting deportation and are being held. "We urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Saif Abukeshek and all other detained march participants," the statement said, adding that the group had suspended its Egypt-based plans and made efforts to coordinate with authorities. Egypt's foreign ministry had previously said travel to the Rafah area required prior approval to ensure safety. Organisers say they sought to coordinate through proper channels.
Mada
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Mada
Global March to Gaza coordinator arrested amid ongoing police crackdown
The Global March to Gaza called on Egyptian authorities to release Saif Abukeshek — one of the initiative's coordinators — along with all other detainees who had traveled to Egypt to participate in the march. In a statement issued Tuesday, the organizers condemned the continued targeting of foreign delegations by Egyptian police. This comes despite their announcement on Monday that all planned activities in Egypt had been suspended and that the coordinators were committed to operating within the bounds of the law. Nonetheless, plainclothes police officers continued to track down and forcibly remove participants 'from hotel rooms, cafes, shops and the streets, without cause or explanation,' according to the Tuesday statement, a copy of which Mada Masr reviewed. On Monday afternoon, three participants were targeted while sitting at a cafe in Cairo: Norwegian nationals Jona Selhi and Huthayfa Abuserriya and Spanish-Palestinian Saif Abukeshek. The three, the statement read, were 'blindfolded, handcuffed, interrogated and brutally beaten,' with no formal charges. Selhi, who was allowed a brief phone call while in police custody, relayed the information. The two Norwegians were later transferred to a detention center at Cairo International Airport, according to the statement. Abukeshek remains in custody, with his whereabouts still unknown. Selhi said Abukeshek was 'singled out' for particularly severe abuse. Egyptian authorities also deported eight Tunisian activists on Tuesday. One of the deportees wrote on Facebook that they were held for six hours at Cairo International Airport, during which they were subjected to insults and violence before being deported under police escort. Their passports, he wrote while on the plane, were confiscated, only to be returned upon arrival in Tunisia. In a statement issued Monday, the Global March to Gaza said that Egyptian authorities detained two members of its international coordination committee — French national Hicham El Ghaoui and Canadian national Manuel Tapial — before deporting them. Later that day, the coordinators instructed all participants to leave Egypt. They explained that the decision came after they met the day before with embassies of the participating delegations and received mixed responses — some were supportive and willing to defend the marchers, while others were not. The Global March to Gaza, launched this month, brought over 4,000 activists from more than 80 countries to Egypt in an attempt to peacefully approach the Rafah border crossing and draw attention to Gaza's deepening humanitarian crisis. However, since their arrival, they have faced intimidation and arrests from Egyptian authorities which ultimately forced the organization to instruct delegations to leave Cairo earlier this week.
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Gaza march activists say participants in Egypt beaten, detained
FILE PHOTO: Murals in support of Palestinians in Gaza are pictured in Cairo amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo CAIRO - Organisers of a march to the Egyptian border with Gaza said on Tuesday that three participants were abducted by plainclothes officers in Cairo amid a wave of arbitrary detentions, deportations and abuse by security forces. Egypt's interior and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to the allegations. Reuters could not independently verify the reported detentions or conditions. The Global March to Gaza, launched this month, brought over 4,000 activists from more than 80 countries to Egypt in an attempt to peacefully approach the Rafah border crossing and draw attention to Gaza's deepening humanitarian crisis. Since their arrival, dozens of participants said they have faced airport interrogations, deportations and roadblocks preventing access to the Sinai peninsula, which provides the land route to Gaza. In a statement on Tuesday, organisers said three international participants were forcibly taken from a Cairo cafe on Monday by security officers who did not identify themselves. Those named were Jonas Selhi and Huthayfa Abuserriya, both from Norway, and Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin and one of the march's organisers. The statement said that according to Selhi, all three men were blindfolded, beaten and interrogated. Abukeshek, he said, faced especially severe abuse. His whereabouts remain unknown, while Selhi and Abuserriya have since been deported to Norway, organisers said. Two security sources denied to Reuters that any detainees were treated violently as long as they adhered to procedures and security instructions until their deportation. The sources said that approximately 400 people have been deported, while fewer than 30 remain awaiting deportation and are being held. "We urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Saif Abukeshek and all other detained march participants," the statement said, adding that the group had suspended its Egypt-based plans and made efforts to coordinate with authorities. Egypt's foreign ministry had previously said travel to the Rafah area required prior approval to ensure safety. Organisers say they sought to coordinate through proper channels. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Gaza march activists say participants in Egypt beaten, detained
CAIRO, June 17 (Reuters) - Organisers of a march to the Egyptian border with Gaza said on Tuesday that three participants were abducted by plainclothes officers in Cairo amid a wave of arbitrary detentions, deportations and abuse by security forces. Egypt's interior and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to the allegations. Reuters could not independently verify the reported detentions or conditions. The Global March to Gaza, launched this month, brought over 4,000 activists from more than 80 countries to Egypt in an attempt to peacefully approach the Rafah border crossing and draw attention to Gaza's deepening humanitarian crisis. Since their arrival, dozens of participants said they have faced airport interrogations, deportations and roadblocks preventing access to the Sinai peninsula, which provides the land route to Gaza. In a statement on Tuesday, organisers said three international participants were forcibly taken from a Cairo cafe on Monday by security officers who did not identify themselves. Those named were Jonas Selhi and Huthayfa Abuserriya, both from Norway, and Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin and one of the march's organisers. The statement said that according to Selhi, all three men were blindfolded, beaten and interrogated. Abukeshek, he said, faced especially severe abuse. His whereabouts remain unknown, while Selhi and Abuserriya have since been deported to Norway, organisers said. Two security sources denied to Reuters that any detainees were treated violently as long as they adhered to procedures and security instructions until their deportation. The sources said that approximately 400 people have been deported, while fewer than 30 remain awaiting deportation and are being held. "We urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Saif Abukeshek and all other detained march participants," the statement said, adding that the group had suspended its Egypt-based plans and made efforts to coordinate with authorities. Egypt's foreign ministry had previously said travel to the Rafah area required prior approval to ensure safety. Organisers say they sought to coordinate through proper channels.
