Egypt: Arbitrary Arrest of Human Rights Defender Mr Haitham Mohamadein

Haitham Mohamadein is specifically targeted as a result of his human rights activities, and fear for his safety and physical and psychological integrity while in detention.

Haitham Mohamadein

(LONDON) - On 5 September 2013, human rights lawyer Mr Haitham Mohamadein was arrested by the Egyptian military at a check point in Suez while he was travelling on a bus from Cairo. He has been transferred to Faisal police station in Giza.

Haitham Mohamadein is a labour rights defender and lawyer affiliated with the El Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, an Egyptian NGO that provides pro bono medical and legal care to victims of human rights violations.

Haitham Mohamadein was travelling to Suez to meet with representatives of factory workers who had requested his legal counsel. Once his bus arrived at the military check point in Suez, he was called off the bus individually, suggesting that the arrest was targeted specifically at him. The reasons for his arbitrary detention are still uncertain; he has not yet been charged.

The human rights defender is a prominent figure in Egyptian civil society as a defender of labour rights and as a member of the El Nadim Centre. He has regularly appeared on television and other media networks in his capacity as a defender of workers' rights.

Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com ,William Nicholas Gomes is concerned at the arbitrary arrest of Haitham Mohamadein in the light of the indications that he is specifically targeted as a result of his human rights activities, and fears for his safety and physical and psychological integrity while in detention.

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Adly Mahmoud Mansour Office of the President Al Ittihadia Palace Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt Your Excellency, I am William Nicholas Gomes,Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com. On 5 September 2013, human rights lawyer Mr Haitham Mohamadein was arrested by the Egyptian military at a check point in Suez while he was travelling on a bus from Cairo. He has been transferred to Faisal police station in Giza. Haitham Mohamadein is a labour rights defender and lawyer affiliated with the El Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, an Egyptian NGO that provides pro bono medical and legal care to victims of human rights violations. Haitham Mohamadein was travelling to Suez to meet with representatives of factory workers who had requested his legal counsel. Once his bus arrived at the military check point in Suez, he was called off the bus individually, suggesting that the arrest was targeted specifically at him. The reasons for his arbitrary detention are still uncertain; he has not yet been charged. The human rights defender is a prominent figure in Egyptian civil society as a defender of labour rights and as a member of the El Nadim Centre. He has regularly appeared on television and other media networks in his capacity as a defender of workers' rights. I am concerned by the arbitrary arrest of Haitham Mohamadein in the light of the indications that he is specifically targeted as a result of his human rights activities, and fear for his safety and physical and psychological integrity while in detention. I urge the authorities in Egypt to: Immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Haitham Mohamadein, as I believe that he is being held solely as a result of his legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights; Ensure that the treatment of Haitham Mohamadein, while in detention, adheres to all those conditions set out in the ‘Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment', adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988; Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Egypt are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment. William Nicholas Gomes Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com www.williamnichoalsgomes.com

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Salem-News.com Human Rights Ambassador William Nicholas Gomes is a Bangladeshi journalist, human rights activist and author was born on 25 December, 1985 in Dhaka. As an investigative journalist he wrote widely for leading European and Asian media outlets.

He is also active in advocating for free and independent media and journalists’ rights, and is part of the free media movement, Global Independent Media Center – an activist media network for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate telling of the truth. He worked for Italian news agency Asianews.it from year 2009 to 2011, on that time he was accredited as a free lance journalist by the press information department of Bangladesh. During this time he has reported a notable numbers of reports for the news agency which were translated into Chinese and Italian and quoted by notable number of new outlets all over the world.He, ideologically, identifies himself deeply attached with anarchism. His political views are often characterized as “leftist” or “left-wing,” and he has described himself as an individualist anarchist.