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Letter of Appeal from the AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

26 March 1998

His Excellency General Habib al-Abdeli
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
Al-Sheikh Rihan Street, Bab al-Louk
Cairo, Egypt

Dear Minister:

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the largest organization of natural and social scientists in the United States, and the world's largest federation of scientific societies, with 145,000 individual members and 282 affiliated groups. Our AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility (Committee) was formed in 1976 to protect the human rights of scientists and deal with issues relating to scientific freedom worldwide.

We are writing, on behalf of the Committee, to express our concern about the re-imprisonment of Dr. Ibrahim Khalil al-Za'farani, Secretary General of the Alexandria branch of the Medical Syndicate and head of its human rights committee, on 22 January 1998. The Committee has been following the case of Dr. al'Zafarani and the physicians arrested with him since their initial arrest in January 1995. The reason for their arrest appears to be their membership in the Muslim Brothers organization. We have written to you five times since March 1995 regarding their cases.

It is our understanding that Dr. al-Za'farani was arrested just hours after his release from prison after completing a three-year prison term with hard labor, and that no reason has been given for his re-arrest. The Committee has received information indicating that Dr. al-Za'farani was summoned to the State Security Investigations Department on the day of his release. He was reportedly held there until 26 January, when he was transferred to Mazara'at Tora Prison and issued a new detention order.

We would like to point out that the re-imprisonment of Dr. al-Za'farani is a serious violation of basic international standards, many of which are included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Egypt is a State Party.

The Committee urges you to use your good offices to assure the immediate and unconditional release from custody of Dr. al-Za'farani, as well as any of the other physicians arrested under similar circumstances who remain in detention.

Sincerely,

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