Former Kefaya movement member detained in undisclosed location for second day

The family of political activist and former member of the Kefaya movement and Karama Party, Hassan Hussein, lodged formal complaints with the prosecutor general, interior minister, head of the Supreme State Security Prosecution and the head of South Giza Prosecution over the arrest of the 62-year-old on Friday and his detention in an undisclosed location.

Hussein’s daughter Noha told Mada Masr that police raided their home and searched it for two hours before arresting him. They refused to show the family their identification, or to give them any information as to where they were taking him, and confiscated Hussein's cell phone and computer, she added.

The family is coordinating with several lawyers regarding how to proceed if information about Hussein is not revealed.

In related news, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information filed a complaint last Thursday with South Giza Prosecution over the arrest of 72-year-old leftist activist Gamal Abdel Fattah from his house in Giza’s Hadayek al-Ahram. He was also taken to an undisclosed location.

Reports of forced disappearances have become common in Egypt over the past few years. In a 2016 report, the state-appointed National Council for Human Rights documented 266 cases of forced disappearances from cases submitted to them between April 2015 and the end of March 2016.

Such measures have often seemed arbitrary, targeting political activists, media representatives and many others that the state has accused of terrorism.

In its second annual report, the Stop Enforced Disappearance Campaign documented 378 cases of forced disappearances between August 1, 2016 and mid-August 2017.