Ramy Kamel Saied Salib
Cases- Location of case in SG report
- 2020-047-001
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2020
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 26.820553
Longitude: 30.802498
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Egypt
- From Region
- UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic
- Dates of prior UN action
- 6 December 2019
- Type of record
- Named individual
- Gender
- Male
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Individual's/organization's activity
Maspero Youth Foundation in Cairo
- Type of rights defended
- Caste/Ethnic minorities' rights/Racism
- Economic/social rights
- Religious freedom
- Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
- No
- Reported trigger of reprisal
to prevent his participation at the November 2019 Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva; Mr. Kamel had interacted with special procedures, including by supporting the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing to Egypt in 2018 in relation to forced displacement of members of the Coptic Christian minority
- Engagement with UN body
- UN Human Rights Council: Minorities forum
- UN Special Procedures: thematic
- Dates of engagement
- 2018; 04 November 2019
- Type of attempted engagement
- Meeting with UN officials during country visit / with locally present UN officials
- Participation in meeting on UN premises
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- 4 November 2019; 23 November 2019
- Location of mentioned reprisals
- Cairo
- Reprisal information
On 4 November 2019, the day that Mr. Kamel reportedly submitted a visa application to travel to Geneva for the Forum, he was summoned to the National Security Office in Cairo, and was allegedly arrested without charges, beaten and tortured. On 23 November 2019, he was reportedly taken without a warrant from his home by plain-clothes officers and members of the Special Forces, and his belongings were confiscated. He was placed in pre-trial detention on terrorism and spreading false news charges (State Security Case No.1475/2019)
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Detention/Imprisonment: Detention/Imprisonment - General
- Property damage/raid/search/confiscation
- Physical attack: Torture/Cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment
- Alleged/likely perpetrators
- State actors
- Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
- No
- Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
- Yes
- Government response dates
- 6 March 2020
- Government response content
On 6 March 2020, the Government stated that the conclusions are based on unsubstantiated links between the charges under investigation and Mr. Kamel’s cooperation with the UN, denying the allegations that Mr. Kamel was arbitrarily detained and tortured and subject to arrest without warrant by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The Government noted that during the search of his home and belongings the police found postal money orders with funds from abroad.
- Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
- Yes
- Which State raised the case at the UN and when?
BENELUX raised the case in September 2020 at the 45th session of the HRC during the Interactive Dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General on reprisals; “We are in particular concerned about the following specific cases of intimidation and reprisals: Mr. Ramy Kamel Saied Salib faced arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture reportedly to prevent his participation at the November 2019 UN Forum on Minority Issues.”
- Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
- No
- Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
- No
- Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
- No
- How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
- 2
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
- 2021
- Follow up information provided in SG report 0
- The case of Mr. Ramy Kamel Saied Salib, human rights defender of the Maspero Youth Foundation working on the rights of members of the Coptic Christian minority, was included in the 2020 report of the Secretary-General156 related to his arrest, detention and torture, allegedly for his attempted participation in the 2019 Forum on Minority Issues (EGY 13/2019157). On 23 November 2019, he was reportedly taken from his home without a warrant by plain-clothes officers and members of the Special Forces and placed in pre-trial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news (Case No.1475/2019).
- On 29 July 2020, special procedures mandate holders addressed Mr. Kamel’s pre-trial detention and fair trial guarantees under case 1475/2019. His detention has been periodically renewed without his presence or that of his lawyers. They also addressed his health conditions and attempts by his family to send him medication (EGY 10/2020). On 4 August 2020, mandate holders raised concerns publicly about the imprisonment of Mr. Kamel and other defenders, who find their lives at increasing risk of Covid-19 due to pre-existing medical conditions, and who have reportedly not been allowed to communicate regularly with their families or lawyers.158 In February 2021, mandate holders addressed the situation of Mr. Kamel again expressing concerns about his health condition, which has reportedly deteriorated significantly since his arrest (EGY 2/2021). According to information received by OHCHR, since his arrest, Mr. Kamel’s pre-trial detention has been continuously renewed pending investigations. No trial has reportedly been set for his case. On 5 May 2021, Mr. Kamel’s was reportedly summoned by the Public Prosecution who informed him that he is banned from international travel
- Followup Trends 0
- Deterioration/further reprisals
- Date of follow up 0
- 29 July 2020, 4 August 2020, February 2021,
- Did the government respond? 0
- No
- Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 1
- 2022
- Follow up information provided in SG report 1
- The case of Mr. Ramy Kamel Saied Salib, a human rights defender of the Maspero Youth Foundation working on the rights of members of the Coptic Christian minority, was included in the 2020 and 2021 report of the Secretary General related to his arrest, detention and torture, allegedly for his attempted participation in the 2019 Forum on Minority Issues (EGY 13/2019 ). On 23 November 2019, he was placed in pre-trial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. On 29 July 2020, special procedures mandate holders addressed Mr. Kamel’s pre-trial detention, fair trial guarantees, the periodic renewal of his detention without his presence or that of his lawyers and his health conditions (EGY 10/2020). They also raised concerns publicly, including on the increasing risk of COVID-19 due to pre-existing medical conditions of Mr. Kamel.
- Followup Trends 1
- Improvement
- Date of follow up 1
- 16 June 2021
- Did the government respond? 1
- No
- Was this case followed up by a UN body? 1
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic