Egypt rejects any attempt to influence investigations with EIPR employees

CAIRO – 22 November 2020: Egypt voiced its rejection of any attempt to influence the investigations being conducted by the Public Prosecution with a number of employees in the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) who have been charged.

 

Karim Ennarah, EIPR’s Criminal Justice Unit Director, was arrested in Dahab, South Sinai on November 18, while Muhammad Bashir, the administrative director at EIPR, was arrested on November 15. Also, the group's executive director Gasser Abdel-Razek was arrested on November 19 from his home in Maadi district, southern Cairo.

 

They are facing accusations of joining a terrorist group and committing terrorism and finance-related crime.

 

“In connection with the reactions and incorrect conclusions circulating in the media and on social media platforms concerning the arrest of a number of employees in the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, which forejudge the findings of the investigations being conducted by the Egyptian judicial authorities in this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Ambassador Ahmed Hafez, affirmed the rejection of any attempt to influence the investigations being conducted by the Public Prosecution with Egyptian citizens who have been charged,” Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said in a statement on Saturday.

 

“The Egyptian state respects the principles of rule of law and equality before it, and that freedom of civil work is guaranteed by the constitution and Egyptian laws, clarifying that work in any domain must be performed as regulated by applicable laws and those who violate them must be held accountable. He also asserted that no category of individuals has immunity for working in a specific field. Hafez also noted the necessity of respecting the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, as stipulated in international law which governs relations between states,” Hafez added.