ANHRI: Leftist activist Gamal Abdel Fattah arrested without a warrant, held in unknown location

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) lodged a formal complaint with Giza Prosecution on Thursday regarding the arrest of leftist activist Gamal Abdel Fattah from his home at dawn on Wednesday morning without a warrant.

ANHRI demanded an urgent investigation into Abdel Fattah's arrest, claiming it is illegal, as defendants have the right to know what charges they are being arrested for and to be given the opportunity to inform a lawyer and their families.  

A police force of seven individuals, one in civilian clothing, stormed Abdel Fattah’s home and went through his personal belongings, taking his computer. They transferred him to an unknown location, his daughter Nefertari told Mada Masr.

ANHRI stressed that the place of Abdel Fattah’s detention should be made known and that he should be released quickly as a result of his age and poor health, as he suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes.  

Haram Prosecution will be presented with the case on Saturday, as Abdel Fattah’s place of residence puts his case under their jurisdiction, Ahmed Abdel Lateef, a lawyer at ANHRI told Mada Masr.

In January 2016, Abdel Fattah was apprehended by police from downtown Cairo, near the Journalists Syndicate, after which he discovered that he had been sentenced in absentia by Sayeda Zeinab Misdemeanour Court in 2015 to five years in prison and a LE500 fine. He was convicted by the court for “promoting changes to constitutional articles, demolishing crucial systems,” and the possession of publications promoting these aims. Abdel Fattah objected to this sentence and was acquitted by the same court in March 2016.