Twelve rights organizations have called on Egypt's government to release Syrian refugees and Palestinians carrying Syrian citizenship papers, who were previously ordered by prosecutors to be released.
They also called for releasing detained minors and providing them with security and medical care, accusing Egyptian authorities of violating laws and international agreements by threatening them with indefinite detention or being deported.
In a statement on Thursday, the organizations expressed concern over deteriorating hygienic conditions among detained refugees in Alexandria saying “they need immediate medical intervention.They include no less than two children [aged six and 14] and a women who…require immediate medical treatment."
The multi-organizational statement also criticized media for a campaign of incitement and hatred towards Syrian and Palestinian refugees.
The statement reported that most of the detainees were arrested while trying to leave to Europe via Alexandria, after intensified random arrests by Egyptian authorities across several governorates.
Among the 12 organizations who signed the statement were: The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, El Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
