Front Line is deeply concerned following the arrest of human rights defender, blogger and writer Mosaad Soliman Hassan Hussein (a.k.a. Mosaad Abu Fagr). He is a human rights defender working on behalf of the rights of the Sinai community in Egypt.

Further Information

Posted 11/01/2008. On 26 December 2007, at approximately 2.00am, Mosaad Abu Fagr was arrested by members of the Ismailia police force, at his home in the housing area of the Suez Canal Company in the city of Ismailia. The police reportedly searched his house, confiscating his mobile phone and the hard drive disc of his computer. Mosaad Abu Fagr was taken to Balouza police station on the border between Sinai and Ismailia, before being transferred to security facilities of North Sinai at 4.00am. Mosaad Abu Fagr has been charged by the Public Prosecutor's Office with having ‘instigated rioting’ and ‘spending of public funds’ under Egyptian penal law. He is currently being detained in El Arish prison pending his trial. Mosaad Abu Fagr had been previously arrested in September 2007 and released shortly afterwards.

Mosaad Abu Fagr has a blog called “Wedna Ne’iesh’ (http://wednane3ish.katib.org [1]). He has been targeted in the past. It is reported that his arrest may be an attempt by the Egyptian authorities to prevent Mosaad from taking part in a peaceful sit-in that was being held by members of the Sinai community. Front Line believes that the arrest of Mosaad Abu Fagr is directly related to his work in defence of human rights and fears that this may form part of an ongoing campaign against human rights defenders in Egypt.