Human rights condemns the terrorizing of opposition students in Egypt

Sawaseya Center for Human Rights and anti- Discrimination, expressed its concerns over the arbitrary measures performed by some Egyptian Universities against the opposition students who try to voice their opinions peacefully.

The students were arrested and beaten lately, following their call that demanded political reform headed by Dr. Mohamed El-Baradei, as well as the freedom to run for the students’ upcoming elections.

Sawaseya pointed out in its statement today, that university administrations use university guards and thugs to threaten and beat students, pointing out that these measures are an obvious violation of the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Egyptian Constitution. It also proves that some Egyptian universities do not respect the laws and conventions on human rights.

The statement provided that the university administrations have been using arbitrary measures with certain students that amounts to dismissal from the university and investigating them with no justification as well as the need to have a permission from the security concerning students’ activities as well as excluding students with specific political background from the elections and reporting their names to security personnel and excluding them from the university until the elections were over, which are usually forged, and as a result they are usually deprived from taking mid-term exams.

Sawaseya pointed out that most of these measures against students were politically motivated and ordered by the security services, in fear of the spread of a wave of opposition inside Egyptian universities and its effect on the public, especially during a time where parliamentary elections approach.

The statement affirmed that these measures freeze the political life in Egypt and are a mean to guarantee the domination of the authority of the ruling party on the political life in order to stay longer in power, even if it has a negative impact on the development and advancement of Egypt.

It called for keeping security bodies away from controlling universities and to give equal opportunities to all students from different trends to take part in the students’ elections and to teach and train them on practicing real democracy.