12 Rights Groups Denounce MB Detentions, Media Silence

  12 Egyptian human rights organizations denounced the ongoing nationwide sweeps of arrests- accompanied by a media silence- against Muslim Brotherhood (MB) affiliates. The rights groups, topped by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Hesham Mubarak Legal Aid Centre and Al-Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation and Psychological Treatment for the Victims of Violence, lashed out in a statement released on Wednesday the media silence towards the continuous police campaigns targeting hundreds of Egyptian citizens because of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood group. They even described this silence as mounting to “a collaboration and a participation” in this systematic repression, stressing that the every one should speak out and condemn such repressive measures.
 
 
 
“We have unfortunately got used to hearing news of carrying out semi daily sweeps of arrests against tens of Muslim Brotherhood members, as if they are ordinary news. The silence towards this news is a clear collaboration”, said the statement stressing that the MB members who have been detained are denied the right to know why they have been arrested. These prisoners must receive a good treatment, a fair investigation and trial, the statement said .
 
 
 
“These unjust random arrests against Muslim Brotherhood members, mostly in various Egyptian governorates and cites, receive a little media coverage from opposition and independent media outlets, not to mention lacking any news about this in the state run and government vetted media outlets”, said the organizations in the statement.
 
 
 
They confirmed that tuning up repression to include dismissing students from universities and sending them to disciplinary boards only for their affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood group, is a flagrant violation to the freedom of expression and may cause potential disasters in the future. Wit these violations and arrests, the Egyptian security forces are giving a deaf ear to the constitution, law and international human rights charters that guarantee the freedom of belief and expression.
 
 
 
The organization pointed out that the repressive security detentions are carried out before dawn and are accompanied by violently storming into houses, causing panic among families, breaking doors disheveling furniture. They called on all Egyptian powers, including independent media outlets, civil society institutions and justice to speak out against these practices and to call for securing a fair trial for these Egyptian citizens.
 
 
 
The signatories on the statement are :
 
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Hesham Mubarak lega aid centre, “s position of the law, Al-Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation and Psychological Treatment for the Victims of Violence, the Egyptian Association Against Torture, the Egyptian democratic social center, the Coordinating Committee for the Trade Union and Worker Rights & Liberties, the Arab program for Human Rights Activists, the Egyptian initiative for personal rights, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, Al-Ard Institution for Human Rights and Habi Center For Environmental Rights