The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemn the decision to arrest Ahmed Anwar, a video blogger, to be tried in front of Tanta partial court on the 4th of May in case no. 5975/2013 Tanta misdemeanors. Anwar was accused by the prosecution of insulting the minister of interior and deliberate harassment of others using communication techniques.

Today AFTE submitted judicial appeal no 10464 for the year 59 of the court order issued on the 9th of February 2013 by the administrative court in claim no. 60693/66 J which stated the block of the execution of the negative decree banning the administrative body concerned from undertaking the necessary measures to block youtube for a month, as well as banning and blocking all websites and links that have shown sections, under various pretexts, of the video defaming the prophet.

Further to the ongoing lack of transparency, conflicting statements and vagueness of Egyptian state institutions towards the public, the public prosecutor decided to close the file regarding AFTE's request submitted on the 30^th of January 2013, in its capacity as an Egyptian human rights organization concerned with the right of the public to information. The request stated that the public prosecution should publish daily information regarding the numbers of people arrested during the events that began on the 25^th of January until now, their charges, places of detention and any other information needed to ensure their safety and the legality of procedures taken against them, in accordance with principles of disclosure and transparency and to facilitate the role of their defense lawyers, as stated in article 78 of the constitution, which states that "the right to defense is granted".  

The undersigned Egyptian human rights organizations strongly condemn the arrest of photojournalist Mohamed Sabry and his referral to an expedited military trial after he was detained while preparing a story for Reuters in the Rafah area in northern Sinai. We demand that Sabry be released immediately and that the Military Prosecution drop the charges of being present in a military zone without permission and taking photographs.