HUMAN RIGHTS HIGH COMMISSIONER WELCOMES EGYPTIAN COURT DECISION ON HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER'S CASE

19.03.2003


The following statement was issued today by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello:
"The High Commissioner for Human Rights welcomes yesterday's decision of the Egyptian Court of Cassation to release Dr. Saad El Din Ibrahim, Director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies in Cairo, and his co-defendants.
The High Court's judgment declaring the defendants innocent of all charges brought against them by the Supreme State Security Court, in two earlier trials, is an important and significant verdict demonstrating its commitment to justice.
In the recent past, the High Commissioner for Human Rights raised on different occasions Dr. Ibrahim's case with the Egyptian authorities and expressed concern regarding his deteriorating health condition. He had also expressed a sincere hope that Dr. Ibrahim's trial would be conducted in a manner consistent with international human rights standards. The High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterates his firm belief that an independent judicial system is the cornerstone of a democratic state based upon the rule of law, and an important safeguard for the protection of human rights.
The High Commissioner also underlines that emergency and security measures must be applied in a manner consistent with fundamental human rights norms and the principles of proportionality and justice".



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