Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned the recent terrorism-related charges filed against Hossam Bahgat, the executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), urging Egyptian authorities to drop the accusations. Bahgat was briefly detained and later released on bail following charges including participation in a terrorist group, financing terrorism, and spreading false news. These charges stem from a report published by EIPR, which called for an investigation into the reported abuse and poor conditions at the 10th of Ramadan 6 Prison. The report, which included accounts of hunger strikes and mistreatment of detainees, drew a threat of legal action from Egypt’s Ministry of Interior shortly after its release.
On Sunday, Bahgat was summoned for questioning by the Egyptian Supreme State Security Prosecution regarding the source of his information on the prison conditions. After hours of interrogation, he was released with conditions but remains under investigation. HRW and EIPR have condemned the charges, viewing them as part of broader efforts by Egyptian authorities to stifle independent human rights work in the country.
This is the latest in a series of actions against EIPR staff. Since 2020, senior members of the organization have faced repeated legal actions, including the arrests of three executives in November 2020 following a meeting with foreign diplomats on human rights issues in Egypt. The three were later released under international pressure, including from notable figures such as actress Scarlett Johansson. Despite this, EIPR continues to face ongoing scrutiny, with asset freezes and repeated arrests of staff members.
Amr Magdi, senior researcher at HRW, criticized the charges against Bahgat, describing them as part of an escalating campaign to silence critical voices in Egypt. Magdi called for the immediate dismissal of the charges, urging President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to rein in the actions of his security agencies targeting NGOs. Bahgat’s long-standing issues with the Egyptian government date back over a decade, including being caught in the controversial “NGO foreign funding” case in 2016, which involved travel bans and accusations that local NGOs were receiving illegal foreign funding to destabilize the government.
Despite travelling abroad for the first time in eight years in 2024, the new case against Bahgat signals the continued harassment faced by human rights defenders in Egypt.
References:
- Human Rights Watch
- Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
- Reuters
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