CIHRS condemns the security harassment to Journalists and demonstrators in front of the Judges Club And demands that the series of trials of the reformist judges be stopped and also demands the release of Hussein Abdel Ghani

With intense anxiety the Cairo Institute received the news about the Egyptian Security Forces detaining Hussein Abdel Ghani, President of Al-Jazeera channel in Egypt, with the charges of spreading lies while he was performing his professional coverage of the news about the terrorist operations in Sinai. This took place with no consideration of the necessary legal procedures, and he was treated in a humiliating manner, which further instigated harassment against the journalists and media people during their coverage of the trial of the reformist judges.

The Institute, with increased anxiety, followed up on the security forces&#146 Siege of the of the demonstrating judges in their club, and the sustained violence and the restraining directed towards those in solidarity with the judges, as well as the arrest of approximately 20 of them yesterday.

The Cairo Institute demands an immediate release of the President of the Al-Jazeera Bureau and all those who were arrested in solidarity with the reformist judges. The Institute also demands legislations issued to stop detaining journalists in publication cases; and that investigation be conducted with the security men who attacked the judges and those in solidarity with them. Further, the Institute requested compliance with the judges&#146 demands to issue the bill amending the law of independent judicial authority; to stop the series of trials and investigations against the reformist judges, and investigate the crimes of attacking judges during elections and the security and administrative interference with the electoral process.
The failure of security to face terrorism is the other face of repression of the reform advocates in all fields.