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

12 August 2002


His Excellency Mohammed Hosni Mubarak
President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Abdeen Palace
Cairo, Egypt
Via Fax: 011 20 2 390 1998


Your Excellency:

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 organizations, with 131,000 individual members and 272 affiliated groups. AAAS publishes the preeminent scientific journal Science. The Association seeks to advance science and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people. Our AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility was formed in 1976 to protect the human rights of scientists, engineers, and health professionals and to deal with issues relating to scientific freedom worldwide.
On behalf of the Committee, I am writing to express concern that Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim is once again being persecuted solely for exercising his internationally guaranteed human right to freedom of expression and opinion. Dr. Ibrahim was originally convicted in May 2001 of illegally accepting funds from the European Union, designated for a pro-democracy documentary that detailed corruption in Egypt's voting practices. I was dismayed to hear that the Court of Cassation upheld this conviction and sentenced Dr. Ibrahim to a seven-year prison term despite the fact that the first trial was found to be flawed on six counts. In addition, European Union officials have issued an affidavit stating they do not believe Dr. Ibrahim or the Ibn Khaldun Center misused their grant money.

I understand that Dr. Ibrahim will be appealing the verdict as soon as it is released in written form by the court. I respectfully request you to use your good offices to ensure that there is no undue delay to this process. Furthermore, I also ask that Dr. Ibrahim be released on humanitarian grounds, so that he can seek sorely needed medical attention for his neurological disorder, either at home or abroad.

The charges against Dr. Ibrahim and his associates appear to be politically motivated effort to muzzle the democratic voice of the Ibn Khaldun Center, stifle political dissent, and intimidate human rights defenders. Suppressing legitimate political debate is in direct violation of several international treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Egypt ratified on 4 August 1967.

Persecution of human rights defenders violates several international human rights standards, including:

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: (ratified by Egypt on 4 August 1967)
• Article 19.1: Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
• Article 19.2: Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds.
• Article 14: Everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.

The Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the Defenders Declaration): (adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 8 March 1998)
• Article 6 protects the following rights:
• To know, seek, obtain, receive and hold information about all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
• To freely publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
• To study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this distressing case.


Sincerely,


Carole Nagengast, Ph.D., Chair
Committee on Scientific Freedom
and Responsibility

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