23 enforced disappearances in Egypt in 3 months

There were 23 cases of enforced disappearances in Egypt between early July to the end of September this year, including the death of 20 in prison, a human rights organisation said.

According to a report by the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in UK, 730 people were arrested in 2016 including 193 in July, 321 in August and 216 in September. The numbers included 17 minors and five women.

The report stated that at least 293 people were subjected to enforced disappearance during that period; approximately 32.7 per cent of the total number of arrests.

The Egyptian courts issued rulings in 93 opposition cases before civilian and military courts; 24 cases were in front of military circles, while 69 of the sentences issued were before civil and criminal courts.

According to the report, 18 defendants in three different cases were sentenced to death, about 1.6 per cent of the total number of convicts. Of the 18 defendants, 11 were sentenced to death, while 16 defendants in three cases were forced to pay fines worth between 10,000 and 50,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,126-$5,630).