Police arrest former professor following his testimony for HRW report

Police forces arrested on Saturday a former professor at Alexandria University, Mohamed Tarek, who presented his testimony on the Rabea dispersal for the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, representative of the Muslim Brotherhood Press Office in London Abdullah al-Haddad reported.

While Haddad said Tarek was arrested from his home on Saturday, the privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that he was arrested from an anti-regime protest in Alexandria close to Moharram Beik Bridge, and was detained pending investigations by National Security along with four others.

Judicial sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that he was arrested initially on accusations of running several pages on social media inciting against police and military forces. However, the sources said that he will be also charged with providing false testimony for the HRW report.

HRW Executive Director for Middle East and North Africa Division Sarah Leah Whitson slammed Tarek’s arrest. “Bogus Egypt charges [regarding] Tarek’s incitement against police and army, giving false testimony to HRW. This is shameless retaliation for telling truth,” she tweeted.

Whitson said that HRW is “gravely concerned” about Tarek’s arrest.

She also referred to a video by HRW posted on YouTube showing Tarek giving his testimony to the New York-based rights organization, as the reason why he was arrested.

In the video, Tarek claimed he was shot with pellets in his face, and later on he was fired at using live ammunition in the chest and the arm. Tarek showed the injuries on his body to the camera. Two university students and one journalist appeared in the video as well to give their testimony.

In its report, HRW deemed the dispersal of the pro-Brotherhood Rabea protest camp as likely a crime against humanity. While the major focus of the report was on the dispersal of the Rabea al-Adaweya sit-in on August 14, HRW referred to five separate incidents of mass killing of protesters by security forces following the military-backed ouster of Morsi from power on July 3. HRW estimates that 1,150 protesters were killed throughout these incidents.

HRW called for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to be held “individually accountable for the widespread and systematic killings of protesters during July to August 2013.” The report calls Sisi one of the “principal architects” of the state violence in his capacity at the time as defense minister, general commander of the Armed Forces, chair of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and deputy prime minister for security affairs.

The report considers that Sisi acknowledged his role in these events during his August 18 speech, when he stated “We spent very many long days to discuss all the details to arrive where the dispersal will not result in any losses.”

Egyptian Ministry of Interior, National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), and the June 30 fact-finding committee lambasted HRW’s report, describing it as biased toward the Brotherhood.

Brotherhood members and officials repeatedly declined requests from the fact-finding committee to present their testimonies in fear of arrest or targeted execution despite ongoing promises by the committee of protection.

The committee’s head, Fouad Abdel Moniem Riyad, said that the committee is keen on listening to all conflicting sides, and that if Brotherhood leaders “were assured that we have an honest will and are keen to listen to all, they will surely cooperate with us."

Riyad promised that all Brotherhood members wishing to cooperate but fear arrest will be protected by the committee.

The committee repeatedly reiterated its calls for members and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood to present their view of events, but they have largely been rejected. Imprisoned Brotherhood leaders refused a second request to visit them in jail and listen to their testimonies, according to Marwan.

Brotherhood leaders question the independence of the committee, which was formed according to a decree by former President Adly Mansour to investigate post June-30 violence.

Committee spokesperson Amr Marwan said earlier that Brotherhood leaders rejecting to present their testimonies are being “not fair to themselves”.