- Human RightsMB NewsMilitary TribunalPrisoners of Conscience
- August 19, 2007
- 2 minutes read
UNHRC & MAS Freedom Barred from Monitoring Military Tribunals
Egyptian Security Forces barred international human rights watchdogs from monitoring the 5th session held for the court-martialed Muslim Brotherhood leaders, a source said
Today”s session witnessed the attendance of Mahdy Bray, Executive Director of MAS Freedom Foundation and founding Board member of the American Coalition to Protect Political Freedom, with a highly-official observation by the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), represented by Dr. Ammar Al-Qirbi, as a deputized observer.
In his statement delivered to ikhwanweb, UNHRC Envoy, Ammar Al-Qirbi affirmed the arbitrariness of the court and wonders “how come the litigant to be a witness!” commenting on the court”s summon writ to State Security officers to give testimony.
“Egypt was a platform of liberties when we were young, but, now, Egyptian human rights status is lagging even behind some of the region”s despotic monarchies” Al-Qirbi to ikhwanweb.
Bray and Al-Qirbi weren”t the first who barred from monitoring the trial sessions, but a long list of other distinguished human rights and legal activists stayed outside the courtroom, as Ramsey Clark, Ex US Attorney-General and international legal activist, Yvonne Ridley, famous British journalist and international human rights activist, Violette Daguerre, general coordinator of the Paris-based Arab Committee for Human Rights.
Note-worthy, a presidential decree no. 2/2007 referred Muslim Brotherhood leaders (under the case no. 963/2006 Supreme State Security Court, dubbed as “Al-Azhar Incidents Case”) to military tribunals, comraded by Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood no. 3 leader Khairat Al-Shater, and MB Executive Bureau member Dr. Muhammad Ali Bishr.