UA: 324/13 Index: MDE 12/075/2013 Egypt Date: 6 December 2013 URGENT ACTION EGYPTIAN ACTIVISTS FACE TRIAL FOR PROTESTING Three Egyptian activists are facing trial for taking part in a protest on 30 November 2013. The charges against them may arise solely from their opposition activism. Two of the activists, Ahmed Maher and Ahmed Douma, are in detention pending trial.

On 4 December the Public Prosecution referred 6 April Youth Movement activists Ahmed Maher and Mohamed Adel, as well as well-known blogger Ahmed Douma, to the Abdeen Misdemeanours Court for trial on 8 December. They charged the men with taking part in a protest without notifying the authorities, as well as “disturbing public order”, “hampering traffic”, “destroying property” and “attacking the security forces”.

The charges relate to a protest by Ahmed Maher’s supporters outside the Abdeen Misdemeanours Court building on 30 November, when the activist turned himself in to the Prosecution for questioning about an unauthorized protest three days earlier outside the Shura Council. The security forces clashed with protesters during the demonstration, but lawyers told Amnesty International that at the time of the clashes with security forces Ahmed Maher was being questioned by the Office of the Public Prosecutor inside the court and Ahmed Douma was inside the court as well.

Ahmed Maher and Ahmed Douma are detained in Tora Prison, south of the capital, . The trial will be held on 8 December, but lawyers have told Amnesty International they have not been told where it will be held.

Please write immediately in Arabic, English or your own language:  Calling on the authorities to drop all charges against Ahmed Maher, Mohamed Adel and Ahmed Douma that stem from their exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression;  Urging them to ensure Ahmed Maher and Ahmed Douma are released unless they are charged with recognizably criminal offences and tried in proceedings that adhere to international standards of fair trial;  Urging them to give the detainees access to their legal representatives, families and any medical attention they may require;  Calling on them to ensure that the detainees are protected from torture and other ill-treatment.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 17 JANUARY 2014 TO: Public Prosecutor Interim President And copies to: Hesham Mohamed Zaki Barakat Adly Mahmoud Mansour Deputy Assistant Minister of Foreign Office of the Public Prosecutor Office of the President Affairs for Human Rights Supreme Court House, 1 “26 July” Road Al Ittihadia Palace Mahy Hassan Abdel Latif Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt Human Rights and International Fax: +202 2 577 4716 Fax: +202 2 391 1441 Humanitarian and Social Affairs +202 2 575 7165 Salutation: Your Excellency Ministry of Foreign Affairs (switched off after office hours, GMT+2) Corniche al-Nil, Cairo Salutation: Dear Counsellor Arab Republic of Egypt Fax: +202 2 574 9713

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. URGENT ACTION EGYPTIAN ACTIVISTS FACE TRIAL FOR PROTESTING

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Ahmed Maher went to Abdeen Misdemeanours Court on 30 November to turn himself in to the Public Prosecution, which had issued an arrest warrant for him on charges that he had taken part in an unauthorized protest in Cairo on 27 November. He was accompanied by a number of his supporters, including Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel, as well as others belonging to the 6 April Youth Movement, of which he is a founding member.

Ahmed Douma waited inside the court building while the Office of the Public Prosecution questioned the activist. Outside the court, Ahmed Maher’s supporters staged a protest. The security forces guarding the court clashed with some of the protesters and fired tear gas to disperse them.

Prosecutors cleared Ahmed Maher of involvement in the unauthorized protest on 27 November, but he was not released and the next day the security forces continued to detain him in connection with charges that related to the protest that had taken place outside Abdeen Misdemeanours Court. The security forces arrested Ahmed Douma at his home on 2 December. They have arrested Ahmed Douma a number of times in connection with his opposition activism. Under ’s rule, he faced trial and prison for “insulting the President”. Mohamed Adel was not arrested but was referred to trial with Ahmed Maher and Ahmed Douma in the same case (No. 9593/2013).

The 6 April Youth Movement is an activist opposition group with thousands of members. It is best-known for helping to co- ordinate the mass protests that toppled during the “25 January Revolution” in 2011.

A new protest law signed by President on 24 November gives the Interior Ministry wide discretionary powers over protests. It requires protest organizers to submit complete plans for any gatherings of more than 10 people to the Interior Ministry at least three days in advance. The law also gives the Interior Ministry the authority to cancel a demonstration or change its route, in effect meaning that demonstrations can take place only with the Ministry’s prior authorization. The law also gives the security forces a legal framework for the use of excessive force against any protesters deemed to have committed a “crime punishable by law”. Protesters convicted of breaking the law face up to five years in prison and fines of 100,000 Egyptian pounds (USD$14, 513).

Names: Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma, Mohamed Adel Gender m/f: m

UA: 324/13 Index: MDE 12/075/2013 Issue Date: 6 December 2013