Families of victims of enforced disappearances told they died in clashes with police

A statement released today by The Arab Organization for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) said that cases of forced disappearance in Egypt “have become rampant” since the July 2013 coup.

The families of detainees killed after being forcibly disappeared are told they were never arrested in the first place, or that they died in clashes with the police. Many letters enquiring about victims’ whereabouts or fate go unanswered.

More than 65,000 Egyptians have been arbitrarily arrested for opposing the military regime and most of them have been forcibly disappeared for longer than 24 hours. Many detainees have appeared before the public prosecutor on fabricated criminal charges after being tortured and forced to confess. Others are still held in custody without charge.

More than 37 Egyptians have been missing for longer than 3 years following their arrest in the aftermath of the July 2013 military coup, say AOHR UK.

AOHR UK blames the rise of forced disappearance cases on “the culture of impunity in Egypt” and “the complicity of the international community which has chosen to turn a blind eye to these crimes instead of pressuring the Egyptian regime to put an end to these violations”.