• EGYPT
  • February 28, 2014
  • 4 minutes read

Human Rights Activist Khaled Hamza Detained at Unknown Location by Coup Forces

Human Rights Activist Khaled Hamza Detained at Unknown Location by Coup Forces

 Egyptian authorities arrested Tuesday Khaled Hamza; human rights activist, Ikhwanweb political adviser, and one of the most prominent defenders of rights and freedoms in Egypt.



Hamza – who is an engineer by profession – faces farcical charges trumped-up by security apparatuses in Egypt after the coup against elected President Mohamed Morsi. His wife and children have not been informed where Hamza is being held until now.


This is the second time Hamza is arrested and detained for his rights activities. He was first arrested in the era of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, in February 2008, for his pro-freedom pro-democracy work, and for his association with media and Western rights organizations that followed human rights developments in Egypt. Now, he has been arrested by military coup forces.


After his first arrest and detention, in 2008, Khaled Hamza was granted an honorary membership of the Arab Commission for Human Rights, based in Paris, by Chairperson Dr. Violet Dagher.


At the time, Dr. Dagher confirmed that "the granting of honorary membership to Hamza is the least we can do for a man who is detained for spreading the culture of human rights and for defense of human rights in Egypt.


"I admit I cried when I heard news of Hamza’s arrest. His arrest struck me deep in the heart, and added great bitterness to the pain I shared with the people of Egypt. Perhaps I’m feeling partly responsible for what happened. I deeply regret the arrest of a highly-cultured well-mannered man who put all his capabilities in the service and support of a just cause."


Ikhwanweb, the Brotherhood’s English-language website, holds military coup authorities fully responsible for Hamza’s safety, especially as he suffers from a number of chronic diseases that will not be helped by the notoriously lacking health care in Egypt’s prisons and detention centers.


Ikhwanweb hopes that the advocates of humanity and freedom in the world will come to the defense of Hamza and others in Egypt who suffer grave violations against humanity.