Berlin, February 18, 2025
Law and Democracy Support Foundation condemns the disappearance of Egyptian-Libyan human rights activist Nasser Al-Hawari following his arrest in Egypt on February 9, 2025, after he criticized human rights conditions in Libya.
Plainclothes security personnel arrested Al-Hawari and his brother near his home in Alexandria after he made televised statements exposing inhumane detention conditions, torture, and mistreatment of prisoners in eastern Libya—an area controlled by Haftar’s forces, which are allied with Egypt. He also called for investigations into these crimes and for those responsible to be held accountable. While his brother was released shortly afterward, Nasser remains forcibly disappeared, with no contact with his family or lawyer.
Nasser Al-Hawari is a human rights defender, founder of the Libyan Human Rights Observatory, and president of Victims for Human Rights. He is also a journalist and presenter of Arrows of Justice and the Rule of Law on Al-Jamahiriya channel, focusing on human rights issues in Libya.
Since 2013, Egypt has systematically used enforced disappearances against large numbers of dissidents and critics, including activists who have remained missing for years, their fate unknown. During Egypt’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session before the UN Human Rights Council, numerous countries recommended that Egypt ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
In recent years, the Arab region has seen a significant rise in transnational repression targeting dissidents, human rights defenders, and political opponents, aiming to silence critical voices beyond national borders—particularly in Arab League member states.
On Monday, several human rights organizations, including the Law and Democracy Support Foundation, issued a joint statement calling on the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council to stop facilitating the arbitrary extradition of peaceful dissidents and human rights defenders within Arab League countries. They urged these states to align their legal frameworks with international human rights law.
Law and Democracy Support Foundation holds the Egyptian authorities responsible for Al-Hawari’s physical and psychological well-being and demands the immediate disclosure of his fate, his unconditional release, and that no charges be brought against him for exercising his legitimate right to freedom of expression.
The foundation also stresses the need for Egypt to uphold its international human rights obligations and implement the recommendations it received during the UPR, including ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
