LDSF condemns the oppression of the potential presidential candidate Ahmed El-Tantawi Campaign
Berlin on September 15, 2023.
Law and Democracy Support Foundation denounced today a series of security attacks targeting the campaign of the potential presidential candidate, Ahmed El-Tantawi. These incidents occurred shortly after he declared his intention to run in the upcoming presidential elections, which are scheduled to take place at the end of this year or early next year. These attacks included arrests and investigations by the State Security Prosecution, known for handling all cases of a political nature in Egypt, as well as phone surveillance through the use of malicious software. The victims of these attacks included activists, lawyers, and other groups that expressed their support for El-Tantawi’s candidacy.
On August 27th, security forces arrested Khalid Amin, a campaign member, and subsequently presented him to the State Security Prosecution. They initiated an investigation against him in Case No. 191 of 2023, charging him with joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and information. He was then detained pending further investigations.
On August 30th, security forces arrested Officer Amr Ali Atiya at his home after he expressed his support for El-Tantawi online. He was presented for questioning the following day before the State Security Prosecution in a separate case numbered 2023 of 2023, accused of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. He was also detained pending further investigations.
In early September, lawyers Sayed Khudeir, Mohamed Sayed, and Mohamed Ibrahim, all members of the campaign, were arrested and brought in for questioning before the State Security Prosecution in Case No. 2124 of 2023, facing similar charges as mentioned earlier.
Yesterday, El-Tantawi announced through his personal social media page that his mobile phone had been hacked and targeted with attacks using the infamous “Predator” spyware by unknown parties.
It’s worth mentioning that targeting competing candidates to the current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is an old practice by security agencies, which has been witnessed in previous elections marked by unprecedented suppression of anyone who declared their intention to run, aiming to eliminate any independent or opposition candidates. We fear that the persecution faced by El-Tantawi’s campaign may indicate a recurrence of similar actions in the upcoming elections, which could undermine their competitiveness.
During the previous elections, the Egyptian authorities arrested prominent candidate Sami Anan, the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and his campaign manager, Hisham Geneina, the former head of the Central Auditing Organization. They were imprisoned for years due to Anan’s candidacy. Additionally, they arrested Colonel Engineer Ahmed Qonsowa on charges related to his announcement of his presidential candidacy, claiming violations of military laws, unlike the case of former army officer Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who announced his candidacy while serving as Minister of Defense and won the elections amid doubts about the fairness of the process.
The foundation stated ‘The Egyptian authorities have turned the elections from a platform for practising democracy, where freedom of expression is expected to flourish, into a season of suppression targeting all opposition voices and anyone who attempts to exercise their legitimate right to participate in the elections, supports a candidate, or demands the use of democracy to remove the current president from office. This strips the elections of their purpose and effectiveness.
The foundation emphasized that the Egyptian authorities must cease targeting the campaign of the potential presidential candidate Ahmed El-Tantawi, release all campaign prisoners, halt investigations, and drop the charges against them related to their participation in the campaign. It is also imperative to discontinue the use of security measures against anyone seeking to participate in the upcoming elections and ensure that they are conducted in a fair and unbiased atmosphere, resulting in elections that reflect the right of Egyptians to choose their president and grant the elected candidate the necessary legitimacy to assume this position.
