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Report on the Case of Dr. Saad Eddin Mohamed Ibrahim, Imprisoned Sociologist, Cairo, Egypt (2001)

Chapter: Appendix A: May 31, 2001 Appeal to President Mubarak

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: May 31, 2001 Appeal to President Mubarak." National Research Council. 2001. Report on the Case of Dr. Saad Eddin Mohamed Ibrahim, Imprisoned Sociologist, Cairo, Egypt. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10148.
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Appendix A

May 31, 2001

His Excellency Muhammad Hosni Mubarak

President of the Arab Republic of Egypt

'Abedine Palace Cairo , Egypt

Excellency:

We, the presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, have learned with sadness and dismay of the harsh prison sentences handed down last week in Egypt to Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim and 27 members of his staff, including two women, at the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies.

As you are no doubt aware, Dr. Ibrahim, who is 62 years old and holds both United States and Egyptian citizenship, is a respected professor of sociology at the American University of Cairo. He is widely known as a man of integrity and stature who has worked to promote democratization and human rights in Egypt. In fact, with regard to the charge of embezzlement, the European Union has said that no misuse of their funds granted to the Ibn Khaldun Center has been found. In September 2000 the chair of our human rights committee met with Egyptian Ambassador Nabil Fahmy to convey our concerns, and the committee sent a delegation to Egypt to discuss Dr. Ibrahim's case, express our concerns, and observe the February 2001 session of his trial. The report that was subsequently prepared on this 12-day mission is enclosed. It was not made public until now because we expected that, if Dr. Ibrahim and his colleagues received a fair trial, they would be exonerated.

Unfortunately, Dr. Ibrahim's trial cannot be considered to have met international fair trial standards. In fact, it is our understanding that his sentence, which we view as unfounded, was handed down by the Supreme State Security Court before lawyers for the defense had finished submitting their briefs and only an hour and half after their summations had been completed. This, despite that thousands of pages of evidence had been submitted to the court for consideration in its deliberations.

We understand that Dr. Ibrahim is being held in Tora Mazraa Prison in south Cairo. We are seriously concerned about his health. According to Dr. Ibrahim's family, he is suffering from a deteriorating nervous system disorder, as yet undiagnosed, which is

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: May 31, 2001 Appeal to President Mubarak." National Research Council. 2001. Report on the Case of Dr. Saad Eddin Mohamed Ibrahim, Imprisoned Sociologist, Cairo, Egypt. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10148.
×

affecting his balance, walking, and use of his left hand, with progressive numbness in his right (writing) hand. We were pleased to learn that he has been given his medications, that he is being monitored by prison doctors, and that his family and neurosurgeon are permitted to visit him.

We hereby respectfully urge your Excellency to show humanity and exercise your constitutional powers to intercede in this case and to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim. Of course, we hope that the others who were convicted with Dr. Ibrahim will be released as well. Such a magnanimous gesture would be most welcomed by our members and the international scientific community.

Sincerely,

Bruce Alberts,

President

National Academy of Sciences

William A. Wulf,

President

National Academy of Engineering

Kenneth I. Shine,

President

Institute of Medicine

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: May 31, 2001 Appeal to President Mubarak." National Research Council. 2001. Report on the Case of Dr. Saad Eddin Mohamed Ibrahim, Imprisoned Sociologist, Cairo, Egypt. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10148.
×
Page 18
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: May 31, 2001 Appeal to President Mubarak." National Research Council. 2001. Report on the Case of Dr. Saad Eddin Mohamed Ibrahim, Imprisoned Sociologist, Cairo, Egypt. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10148.
×
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Report on the Case of Dr. Saad Eddin Mohamed Ibrahim, Imprisoned Sociologist, Cairo, Egypt Get This Book
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In February 2001 Committee on Human Rights (CHR) member Morton Panish (a member of the NAS and NAE) and former National Academies staff officer Jay Davenport attended the February 2001 hearings in Cairo of the trial of renowned sociology professor, Saad Eddin Ibrahim. This report provides a summary of the February trial cycle and developments in Dr. Ibrahim's case from the time of his arrest in June 2000 through the end of May 2001, when he and 27 staff members of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies (which he directs) were convicted. It also describes the CHR's efforts in behalf of Professor Ibrahim and provides an overview of the political and legal environment in Egypt at the time. The report concludes that the outlook for the development of a healthy civil society in Egypt appears to be growing dimmer. By prosecuting a person as highly esteemed as Dr. Ibrahim and closing the Ibn Khaldun Center , the government was sending a clear message that there will be little tolerance of those working in Egypt to promote democracy and the growth of civil society there.

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