The Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners Campaign

Hand in hand- Egypt without torture

Cairo: 7/7/2004

The Ministry of Interior releases the rest of the escapee prisoners' family from Aga prison in Al-Mansoura

On Tuesday July 7, 2004 and after more then six days of illegal detention, the investigation officers of Al-Saff district released the rest of the families of the escapee prisoner Mohamed Saleh Abdel-Mohsen from Aga prison in Al-Mansoura, they are Fatma Mohamed Mosa Al-Mas'ody "the escapee's wife", Mus'ad Saleh Abdel-Mohsen "his brother", Mohamed Auda, Yasser Selim, Nasrallah Selim, Mansour Salama, and Muslim Abdel-Gayyed. It is noteworthy that 47 other detainees of the escapee prisoner family were released, and they are from the residents of Aran Al-Shurafa village in Al-Saff district in Giza.

The incident dates back to June 30, 2004 and in the consequences of the prisoner Mohamed Saleh Abdel-Mohsen escape from Al-Mansoura, who lives in Arab Al-Shurafa, Al-Saff, Giza, the police forces did not stop breaking into his folks and relatives houses but they pursued them in farms and detained about 54 citizen. They detained also children, women and elderly people. It worth mentioning that 14 citizens of the escapee prisoner family resorted to the office of HRAAP on Sunday July 4, 2004 and carried out a sit-in as a protest against the oppression and pursuits of the investigation officers of Al-Saff and Atfih district, that is why tens of his relatives left their houses and hid in farms for fear of being detained and tortured so their houses were robbed and their livestock died as a result.

The fourteen citizens end their sit-in in the office of HRAAP after seven hours and return home in Arab Al-Shurafa village in Al-Saff district in Giza, after they got security commitments to be in safety. On the other hand the Ministry of Interior releases 47 from their relatives who were detained in Al-Saff and Atfih police station since June 30, 2004, and then releasing the other 7 persons yesterday.

Before all these developments, the association gives credit to the response of the Ministry of Interior and releasing all detainees without legal evidence. In this respect the association appeals again to the enforcement officials to respect citizens' rights and not to humiliate them or strip them off their humanity under any allegation.

The human rights association for the assistance of prisoners