--- title: "Rights Groups Urge Italy to Stop Deportation of Mohamed Shahin to Egypt and Ensure His Right to Seek Asylum" slug: "rights-groups-urge-italy-to-stop-deportation-of-mohamed-shahin-to-egypt-and-ensure-his-right-to-seek-asylum" post_type: "post" published_at: "2025-12-02T22:07:05+01:00" modified_at: "2025-12-02T21:07:05+01:00" author: "ahamdy" url: "https://cihrs.org/rights-groups-urge-italy-to-stop-deportation-of-mohamed-shahin-to-egypt-and-ensure-his-right-to-seek-asylum/?lang=en" category: - "International Advocacy Program" post_tag: - "Italy" causes_and_rights: - "Refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers." country: - "Other" field: - "Regional and International Protection and Advocacy" interest: - "Statements and Positions" --- # Rights Groups Urge Italy to Stop Deportation of Mohamed Shahin to Egypt and Ensure His Right to Seek Asylum Thirteen Civil society organizations call on the Italian government and the Ministry of Interior to halt the deportation of Mohamed Mahmoud Ebrahim Shahin to Egypt, consistent with Italy’s obligations under international law and fully adherent to the principle of non-refoulement. Mohamed Mahmoud Ebrahim Shahin, an Egyptian citizen who has been living in Turin, Italy for about twenty years, has been subjected to unjust and evidently flawed legal proceedings since 24 November 2025. On the initiative of the Ministry of the Interior, Mr. Shahin's long-term European residence permit was revoked pursuant to Article 13, paragraph 1, of the Consolidated Law on Immigration (Decree No. 286/1998), which, together with amendments, introduces the possibility of expelling foreign nationals if they are deemed to constitute a threat to society or national security. The allegations made against Mr. Shahin in the deportation order include that he ‘belongs to an extremist ideology’ and that he acted as ‘a roadblock’ during a May 2025 protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people; accusations which functioned as the basis for his deportation order. In the order, the Ministry of Interior also made an allegation that Shahin made a statement on the 7 October attacks during another Palestine solidarity demonstration in Turin, in October 2025. After being held at a police station, Mohamed Shahin was transferred to the Repatriation Center (CPR) in Caltanissetta, far from the lawyers working on his defense as well as from his family and community. His application for international protection, submitted following the revocation of his residency permit, was rejected after a heavily expedited review process, which was undoubtedly [influenced](https://asylumineurope.org/reports/country/italy/asylum-procedure/the-safe-country-concepts/safe-country-origin/) by Egypt's classification as a ‘safe country of origin’ by the Italian government. The review failed to give due consideration to the risks Mohamed Shahin would face if deported to Egypt, a country where [torture is endemic](https://www.icj.org/resource/egypt-torture-so-widespread-and-systematic-as-to-constitute-a-crime-against-humanity/) and the authorities subject people to arbitrary detention and unjust imprisonment following unfair trials, solely for their political views. ‘The Italian authorities must fully acknowledge the severe risks Mohamed Shahin would face if deported to Egypt. Proceeding with his deportation would place Italy in direct breach of its obligations under international human rights law. Italy’s treatment of Mohamed Shahin is another example of the global backsliding of the rule of law and human rights that we are witnessing. No State can credibly declare another country “safe for all”, as Italy does by classifying Egypt as a “safe country of origin”, and no State can simply bypass its fundamental obligations under international human rights law’, said Sayed Nasr, executive director of the association EgyptWide for Human Rights. At the time his residency permit was revoked, Mohamed Shahin had no criminal record. He was actively involved in the socio-cultural life of his city and the Islamic community in Turin. In his role as imam, he often promoted local interfaith dialogue initiatives. In the context of demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people, he is remembered by local movements for his role as a mediator in ensuring the peaceful conduct of the demonstrations. The inconsistency of the charges brought against Shahin to justify the deportation proceedings issued against him pursuant to Article 13, paragraph 1, of the Consolidated Law on Immigration represents an alarming case of the instrumentalization of the law for repressive purposes and the repression of peaceful dissent through national security legislation. ‘In the case of Mohamed Shahin, we highlight with concern the use of the **expulsion decree** and subsequent **administrative detention in a Repatriation Center (CPR)**. This is an administrative procedure that **does not offer the guarantees of defense** guaranteed in criminal proceedings, while applying a very severe detention measure. All this is based on a suspicion concerning conduct that does not, however, constitute a criminal offense and on the basis of statements that were later reviewed and corrected. **Foreign nationals** are too often at risk of being removed from the social fabric in which they live, build relationships, and are an integral part of; they are deported from Italy instead of being offered the same guarantees which a State governed by the rule of law should offer to all. This is very concerning and detrimental to the fundamental rights of the individual,’ said **Luigi Manconi**, president of **A Buon Diritto**. ‘If he were deported to Egypt, a country known for its propensity for torture and enforced disappearances, Mohamed Shahin’s life would be in danger. This is due to an unfair and disproportionate measure issued by the Italian authorities, the result of a repressive use of national security policies, a measure that we are calling for to be revoked,’ said Riccardo Noury, spokesperson for Amnesty International Italy. In recent years, the undersigned organizations[ documented cases](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/603f77da05d50a1fa6418754/683d6c59e3f8cc54c82bc131_Egypt_Safe%20for%20Whom_%20Position%20Paper_EgyptWide.pdf) in which Egyptian citizens [returning ](https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/04/egypt-deported-dissidents-missing)from abroad, both [voluntarily](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/603f77da05d50a1fa6418754/62066ac11523381aa1a46695_CRIMINALIZZARE-LE-MENTI_REPORTO_DI_EgyptWide.pdf) and as a result of [repatriation procedures](https://arciporcorosso.it/semestrale-2025/) initiated by third countries, have been subjected to serious [human rights violations](https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/02/12/egypt-rights-activist-detained-allegedly-tortured), including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture or other ill-treatment for their actual or perceived criticism of the Egyptian government. Among those targeted were [political opponents](https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/26/egypt-arrests-escalate-ahead-unfair-elections), [university students](https://www.egyptwide.org/publication/criminalizing-minds), [activists](https://egyptianforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Transnational-repression-ENG.pdf), and ordinary citizens with no history of political or human rights activism. There is also a [well-established practice](https://egyptianforum.org/en/punishment-by-proxy-in-egypt-families-of-exiled-activists-and-human-rights-defenders-held-hostage-by-the-authorities/) by the Egyptian authorities of retaliating against and intimidating the [families of political opponents](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0351_EN.html), including with arbitrary arrest and detention, unfair trial leading to unjust imprisonment, torture or other ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance. Given that the Egyptian authorities have previously subjected members of Shahin’s family to prosecution for their political views, we believe that he is at real risk of human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, an unfair trial leading to unjust imprisonment, enforced disappearance, and torture or other ill-treatment if forcibly returned to Egypt. Such risks would be further heightened by the Italian authorities designating him as a security threat or ‘social threat’. In a letter to the Italian President of the Council of Ministers and to the Ministry of Interior, some of the undersigned organizations have expressed our concerns for the human rights violations to which Mr. Shahin could be subjected if he was deported to Egypt. The letter called for halting the deportation procedure and presented reports and documentation illustrating the seriousness and severity of such violations, but we have not received any answer to the present day. We call on the Italian authorities, consistent with their [human rights obligations](https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/d/echr/convention_ENG), including the right of every person not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, the right to family privacy, and the [principle of non-refoulement](https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-relating-status-refugees), to stop the deportation of Mohamed Shahin to Egypt and to guarantee his right to seek international protection in Italy. **SIGNATURES** - EgyptWide for Human Rights - Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF) - Sinai Foundation for Human Rights - Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR) - Egyptian Human Rights Forum ( EHRF) - ARCI - Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) - A Buon Diritto - European Legal Support Center - El Nadeem Center - Amnesty International Italia - Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECFR) - Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE)