• EGYPT
  • November 1, 2013
  • 7 minutes read

Campaign and Initiative… Where is the Kidnapped President?

Campaign and Initiative… Where is the Kidnapped President?

Trying the President… Rights and Guarantees


We, the undersigned, deplore the major crises afflicting our homeland at present, including the increasing social rift, perilous political turbulence and horrifying bloody clashes nearly, driving the country to the brink of complete civil war, not to mention economic collapse, in the shadow of the return of the police state in its worst reincarnations – complete with the notorious "dawn visitors". This is accompanied by a media discourse deliberately focused on inciting violence and spreading hatred, while deepening polarization based on bias and discrimination. The result is an unprecedented upset of civil and legal rights, in the light of which innocent civilians, peacefully expressing their political opinions are subjected to attacks with live ammunition. This is a complete destruction of all the gains of the January 25, 2011, Revolution, and a termination of the last of these gains, the freedom of expression.


In light of these consequences, and in the atmosphere of selective and vengeful trials, comes the trial of the elected President Mohamed Morsi, on implausible, trumped up charges, based on unreasonable criticism, fabrication, suspicion, mixing of private political opinion with objective legal methods, and complete absence of documentation or proper charges. The fabricated legal accusations are based on testimony by security personnel who played a main role in the upset of elected legitimacy and the waste of five extensive elections and referendums. It is obvious that the invention of charges against the elected president, based on flimsy legal reasoning founded on none of the internationally accepted basics, was only intended to bring criminal charges against him – however unsubstantial – as a step towards branding him a criminal, stripping him of legitimacy and distorting his image.


And here, we affirm our rejection and repudiation of this trial in form, content and legality. We insist on the following commitments that cannot be disregarded by any state that claims the rule of law:


  1.  Holding a public trial, including live television broadcast of courtroom events at all stages of the trial.


  2.  A complete, independent, unbiased medical team must accompany President Mohamed Morsi during all of the coming phases, completely reviewing his state of health, as a guarantee for his safety and a protection of his life.


  3.  The locations of the President during or after the phases of the trial must be made public, so they are known to his family and to the medical and legal teams accompanying him. Security concerns cannot be used as an excuse, as security forces are completely responsible for this. Otherwise, how do they provide security for deposed Mubarak?


  4.  The undersigned affirm the necessity of treating all detainees and those under trial – especially after the July 3 coup – in a legal and humane manner, guaranteeing all legal and human rights, including use of appropriate detention locations.


  5.  This initiative and the proposed campaign affirm they will perform all the needed activities of contacting local and international human rights organizations to insist on human rights and rights to legal recourse, the publicizing of the location of the kidnapped President, the right of his family to contact and visit him, considering these to be basic and founding personal rights, not to mention his being the legitimate president of the country.


In the end, we honor and salute the martyrs and wounded from the January 25, 2011, Revolution until today, as well as all those struggling for this country. We urge all those of a sound mind, from all groups, to form a new social pact ending these dangerous, exceptional conditions in the country since the July 3 coup.


Signed:


  •  Dr. Saif-Eldin Abdalfattah, Professor of Political Science


  •  Mohamed Damati, Lawyer, Lawyers Syndicate Representative


  •  Dr. Nadia Mustapha, Professor of Political Science


  •  Dr. Emad Shahin, Professor of Political Science


  •  New Labor Party


  •  Justice and Freedom Movement


  •  Egyptian Alternative Cultural Party, under registration


  •  Journalists Against the Coup


  •  Media Workers Against the Coup


  •  Youth Against the Coup


  •  Students Against the Coup


  •  Pharmacists Against the Coup