Rights Groups Call for Release of Detained Shia Muslims in Egypt, Including Journalist Mohamed Haider Qandil

Rights Groups Call for Release of Detained Shia Muslims in Egypt, Including Journalist Mohamed Haider Qandil
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A group of international and Egyptian human rights organizations has called on Egyptian authorities to release dozens of Shia Muslim detainees, including journalist Mohamed Haider Qandil, expressing concern over what they described as possible targeting of individuals based on their religious beliefs and practices.

In a joint statement, the organizations said that Egyptian security forces began arresting Shia Muslims on June 22, including detaining journalist Mohamed Haider Qandil outside the Al-Dostour newspaper office in Giza after he documented arrests of Shia citizens ahead of Ashura commemorations.

The groups reported that security forces raided a religious gathering in Cairo’s Sayeda Zeinab district on June 24, arresting more than 20 people, with at least 36 individuals later subjected to investigation. They said some detainees were held incommunicado for more than 20 days before being presented to prosecutors.

The rights organizations said they were concerned by reports that interrogations focused extensively on detainees’ Shia beliefs, religious identity, and participation in religious gatherings. They argued that the timing of the arrests, occurring around the Ashura commemorations, raised concerns about restrictions on freedom of religion, expression, and peaceful assembly.

The groups warned against using counterterrorism laws against religious minorities and journalists for activities linked to peaceful religious practices, saying such measures could lead to the criminalization of fundamental rights and freedoms.

They called on Egyptian authorities to release those detained solely for exercising their rights, ensure immediate access to lawyers and families, investigate allegations of enforced disappearance and denial of legal assistance, and hold accountable any officials found responsible for violations.

The statement was signed by several rights organizations, including Minority Rights Group, the Egyptian Front for Human Rights, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, among others.