Khaled al-Quzzaz, an engineer and educator, was foreign relations secretary to former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. After Morsi was deposed by the Egyptian military, al-Quazzaz was arrested. He has been imprisoned in maximum security for over a year, over half of that in solitary confinement. We asked for the Egyptian government to provide him with due process, a fair trial and access to counsel and family.
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President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
Arab Republic of Egypt
c/o Embassy of Egypt to the United States
3521 International Court NW
Washington DC 20008Your Excellency:
We write now in concern for Kahled al-Qazzaz.
Khaled al-Qazzaz, an engineer and educator, has been in imprisoned for 365 days in the maximum security wing of Tora prison in Cairo. More than half of that time was spent in solitary confinement.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has confirmed that after the military deposed President Mohamed Morsi, military officials detained the former president together with ten of his senior aides, holding them incommunicado at an unknown location. Five of Morsi’s aides remained incommunicado without legal basis at the time of HRW’s report. Al-Qazzaz was one of the officials referred to in the report. Al-Qazzaz was the foreign relations secretary to Mohamed Morsi.
We do not take any position on the political situation leading to the ouster of President Morsi. However, we are seriously disturbed by al-Qazzaz’ alleged treatment because we believe that every person is entitled to due process of law, a fair trial, and opportunity to have access to family and counsel in jail. Al-Qazzaz does not appear to have been granted any of these rights, which are guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Egypt is a signatory as of 1982.
We therefore respectfully request that you investigate this situation and assure that al-Qazzaz is afforded full opportunities to a fair trial, to due process during imprisonment, and to access to family and counsel, as well as to medical care if needed.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander GreerCo-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
cc: H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Tawfik
