Washington, DC 08/30/2010                                                                 Tel: 0+1-434-409-9638

Egyptian Authorities Deporting Darfuris Back to Sudan

To his Excellency, President of Egypt, Mohamed Hosni Mubarak

To his Excellency, Ambassador of Egypt in the United States of America

To his Excellency, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, the Secretary General of the United Nations

To her Excellency, Dr. Susan Rice, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations

Dear Egyptian and international leaders,

We, the undersigned, are American human rights activists, Darfuris, and Sudanese who are deeply concerned about the horrifying news from Egypt about Darfuri refugees and Sudanese being arbitrarily arrested and harassed.  We have received news that such Darfuri refugees and Sudanese are being arrested by Egyptian authorities and are kept in different jails around Egypt for more than eight months without any clear reason.

We are also deeply disturbed by the daily harassment, intimidation, arbitrary detention, and even torture of these refugees who came to your country fleeing the war in Darfur and the brutality of the Sudanese government and the NCP.  

We are saddened to hear about refugees who have also been attacked and even killed without mercy by the Egyptian army and police. There is a sad history of such brutality in Egypt.  Dozens of innocent Sudanese refugees were shot and beaten to death, while demonstrating peacefully in front of the United Nations Office in Cairo, in December 2005.  Most of those refugees were innocent children and women.  This same history is repeating now on a daily basis against those walking through the "Sinai desert" trying to cross the Egypt - Israeli borders, looking for a safe haven that they lacked in Sudan and even in Egypt that supposedly, treats such refugees with dignity and respect.

We again today are sincerely, asking the Egyptian authorities to immediately, release all those Darfur refugees and Sudanese arrested and imprisoned around the country from "Torah," "Kanatir," "Altakhshiba," "Aljeza," and the other notorious prisons.

It has been brought to our attention by the families of those detained that the imprisoned individuals are being held without any access to justice nor are they even allowed a visit by their relatives and friends.  In addition, we have been advised that perhaps hundreds of detainees are being kept at unknown security houses and are enduring beatings and other torture.

The death of the following Darfuris has not and will not be forgotten and we ask the Egyptian Government to provide full cooperation with the United Nations for extensive investigation to bring all those responsible to justice. It is not a coincidence that all these victims were Darfuris and were crushed by cars inside Egypt:

1- Mr. Adam Abdul hamid Mengo, Darfuri in his 30's and married, was crushed by a car in front of his home at Ain shams district in Cairo and died in the hospital this last Friday August, 20, 2010.

2- Haj Ishag, Darfuri in his middle age, who was tortured and killed in the beginning of year 2010.

3- Mr. Abder haman Arabe, a young Darfuri also crushed by a car at midday in downtown Cairo last June 2010. He broke his legs and one arm, and was left disabled at "Al-ajuza hospital" near by Cairo.

4-Mr. Suleiman Adam Ortaib, 70 years old Darfuri and " Al-Azhar University" graduate student, was crushed by a car at "Abbasia district" in Cairo in 2009, where he later died in the hospital.

5- Mr. Gumaa Ali Adam, a young Darfuri, was crushed by a car on October 6, on the outskirts of Cairo in 2009.

All these drivers and killers are left to go free of charges and the incidents reported against unknown by Egyptian police authorities. We ask you to bring those responsible to justice.

We implore you to release those individuals who were sent by Egyptian authorities to final detention at south Egypt's "Takhshiba" and through "Al-mugamaa" and who are scheduled to be deported to Sudan this week.  

We urge you to immediately reconsider their right to free and fair legal treatment, to medical treatment, and to see their families. Further, we urge you to immediately reconsider their rights to live free as refugees without further restrictions or intimidation.

The following names are at risk of being deported this week. If they are deported to Khartoum, they will surely face the death penalty in accordance with Sudanese law, which considers them “opposers.” As such the Sudanese government will accuse them of crossing borders into Israel, considered sufficient justification for execution.

Please stop the deportation of the following individuals back to Sudan and release them immediately from detention in Egyptian facilities:

1- Mr. Abul-gasim Ibrahim El-haj

2- Mr- Faisal Mohamed Haroun

3- Mr. Adam Yahia Abdalla (nickname is "Howli")

4- Unknown name

Surely, those of us who support international human rights for all people must implore action from the Egyptian and international authorities that shows mercy towards Darfuris and other Sudanese people who have fled the genocide into Egypt.

Is there no place on our shared Earth where human mercy and dignity can be shown to those fleeing genocide, those who are then arbitrarily arrested and treated even worse in other lands?  We are one human race dependent on such shared trust, mercy, and dignity for one another. 

Thank you very much for your attention to this very urgent matter.

Signed,

1- Mr. Mohamed A. Yahya

Founder/ Executive Director

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy

(USA)

Tel:/Fax: 1-703-310-4424

www.damanga.org

2- Mr. Daowd Salih

Board President

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy

New Jersey (USA)

Tel: 908-272-0128

3- Mr. Jerry Fenning

Darfur Activist and Advisory Board Member

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy

Los Angeles, CA (USA)

4-Ms. Supriya Desai

Advisory Board Member

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy

Edgewater, NJ 07020 (USA)

5- Professor Eric Reeves

Smith College

Northamton, MA 01063 (USA)

ereeves@smith.edu

www.sudanreeves.org 

6-Mr.Jeffrey Imm

Director/Founder

Reality, Equality and Liberty

Maryland (USA)

7-Ms. Martha Boshnick

Co-Chair

Darfur Interfaith Network

Maryland (USA)

8-Ms. Nell Okie

Co-Director

New Haven Alliance for Congo

Connecticut (USA)

9-Mr. Ibrahim Tahir

President

Beja Congress Organization

Virginia (USA)

10-Ms. Sandra Hammel

Director

Use Your Voice to Stop Genocide RI

Rhode Island (USA)

11- Mr. Richard Young

Co-Chair

Darfur Interfaith Network

Bethesda, MD (USA)

12-Mr. Rahama Deffallah

Darfur Activist

723-E 5TH Street, # 2A

Brooklyn, NY 11218 (USA)

Tel: 347-727-0052

13- Ms. Katie Jay Scott

Stop Genocide Now

Los Angeles, CA (USA)

14- Mr. Eric Angel

Member

i-Act/Stop Genocide Now

California (USA)

15- Mr. Gabriel Stauring

Director

Stop Genocide Now

California (USA)

16-Ms. Gloria Crist

Essex County Coalition for Darfur

Montclair, NJ (USA)

17- Ms. Lauren Tibbits

Juneau, AR (USA)

18- Ms- Barbara Plant

Lexington, MA (USA)

19- Reverend Kimberly Brown Barnes

Pastor

Gethsemane, ME Church

Washington DC (USA)

20- Ms. Sara Caine Kornfield

Educator and Project Founder

Change the World- It Just Takes Cents^TM (Middle-High School Darfur Initiative)

Denver, CO (USA)

21- Mr. Mohamed Suleiman

President

Darfur Self Reliance Education

San Francisco, CA (USA)

22-Ms. Jeanne Tustain

Member

Darfur Interfaith Network

Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church

Bethesda, MD (USA)

23-Mr. Amir Osman

Senior Policy & Government Relations

Save Darfur Coalition

Washington, DC (USA)

24-Mr. David Allbaugh

CIV WHS/PLC

(USA)

25-Mr- Marc Furmaniski

Miami, FL (USA)

26-Mr. Jimmy Mulla

Director

Voices For Sudan

Washington, DC (USA)

27-Ms. Nicholette Martin

Member

Darfur Interfaith Network

Maryland (USA)

28-Ms. Fatima Mohamed Haroun

Darfuri Activist

Philadelphia, PA (USA)

29-Ms. Tragi Mustafa

Darfuri Activist

(CANADA)

30-Ms. Basamat Ahmed

Member of the Darfuri Community in Atlanta

Atlanta, GA (USA)

31- Mr. Ahmed Ahmed

Member of the Darfuri Community in Atlanta

Atlanta, GA (USA)

32- Ms. Hawa Ahmed

Member of the Darfuri Community in Atlanta

Atlanta, GA (USA)

33-Mr. Hamed Hager Ahmed

Member of the Darfuri Community in Atlanta

Atlanta, GA (USA)

34- Mr. Bakhit Bakhit

Member of the Darfuri Community in Atlanta

Atlanta, GA (USA)

35-Abubaker Adam

Member of the Darfuri Community in Atlanta

Atlanta, GA (USA)

36-Mr. Esam Ali Dablouk

Darfuri Activist

37-Mr. William R. Casey

Darfuri Activist

Alexandria, VA (USA)

613909@COMCAST.NET

38- Mr. Alnour Mohamad Ahmad Adam

Darfuri Activist

Virginia (USA)

39-Mr. Hamid Brgo

Darfur Activist

Middle East

40-Mr- Osam Ahmad

Darfuri Activist

Atlanta, GA (USA)

41-Mr. Amin Ahmad

Darfui Activist

Atlanta, GA (USA)

42-Mr. Bahar Arabie

Darfuri Activist

Virginia (USA)

43- Ms. Leah Nucklos

President

Be Their Messenger

Arizona (USA)

44-Mr. Adeeb Yousif

Executive Director

Darfur Reconciliation and Development Organization

San Francisco, CA (USA)

45-Ms. Amal Allagabo

General Secretary

Darfur Women Action Group

Washington, DC (USA)

46-Ms. Rhonda Varsene

Activist and Reporter

Darfur Good News Press

Texas (USA)

www.goodnewspress.net/Darfur

47-Ms. Alysha Atma

Correspondent, African Affairs

Salem News.com

Portland-Oregon 97208 (USA)

48-Mr. Abdelshakour Khamis

Refugee Voice

Musa’ade’en Project

Cairo (EGYPT)

49-Mr. Abdalmageed Salih

Chairperson

Human Rights & Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND)

P.O.Box 7079

Kampala (UGANDA)

50-Mr. Mohamed Tajedin

Representative

Support Darfur Organization

Grand Island, NE (USA)

51-Dr. Adam Omer

Representative

Darfur Association

Nebraska (USA)

52-Mr. Mohammadain Ishag

Representative

Darfur Culture and Documentation Organization

(BELGIUM)

53-Mr. Ahmad Ishag Omar

President

Darfur Association

(BELGIUM)

54-A. J. FAY

Co-Founder

Idaho Darfur Coalition

Idaho (USA)

55-Ms. Judy Herr

Member

Darfur Intervention Network

(USA)

56-Mr. Eric Cohen

Chairperson

Investors Against Genocide

Boston, MA (USA)

57-Mr. William Rosenfeld

Director

Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur

Boston, MA (USA)

58-Ms. Susan Morgan

Executive Director

Pax Communications

San Francisco, CA (USA)

59-Ms. Amira El-tahawy

Reporter and Egyptian Human Rights Activist

(UNITED KINGDOM)

mirahi@gmail.com

60-Ms. Janette Lane Bradbury

Artistic Director

Valkyrie Theater of Dance, Drama and Film

10817 Kling Street

Toluca Lake, CA 91602 (USA)

61-Mr. David Kilgour

Former Canadian Secretary of State for Africa (1997-2002)

(CANADA)

62-Mr. Michael Glazer

Student Activist

Washington Center Internship

Washington, DC (USA)

63-Mr. Michael Pertnoy

Righteous Pictures

Florida (USA)

64-Reverend Joanne Leslie

Deacon, St. Johns Episcopal Cathedral

514 West Adams Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90007 (USA)

Tel: 1-310-403-9353

65- Ms. Lillian Riziq

Arizona State University

The School of Community Resources & Development

Non Profit Leadership and Management

Director of SSWEN & SAN Coordinator

Arizona (USA)

www.sswen.org

66-Ms. Patricia Ward

Candidate, Bachelor of Arts Degree

School of International Services American University

Washington, DC (USA)

pw8170a@american.edu

67- Dr. Marveta Ryan-Sams, PhD

Association Professor of Spanish

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania (USA)

68-Mr. Eric Stuart

Student and Darfur Activist

University of Connecticut (USA)

69- Abdelhalim Mohamed

Sudanese American Youth Center

San Diego, CA (USA)

Tel: 1-619-398-6553

70-Ms. Gerri Miller

Founder and Coordinator

Dear Sudan, Love Marin

Tiburon, CA (USA)

71- Reverend Laura Cutler

Member

Darfur Interfaith Network

Washington, DC (USA)

72-Mr. Cory Williams

Co-Founder

Darfur and Beyond

Arizona (USA)

73- Mr. Steve Fake

Co-Author, Scramble for Africa: Intervention and the USA (Black Rose Books)

(USA)

www.scrambleforafrica.org

www.ideasanaction.info

74-Mr. Kevin Funk

Sudanese Activist

(USA)

75-Ms. Martina W. Knee

Director and Secretary

San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition

California (USA)

www.darfursf.org

76- Ms. Tanya Domi

Columbia University

New York, NY (USA)

77- Ms. Julia Hays

Founder-Director

Keokuk for Darfur

Keokuk, IA (USA)

78-Ms. Helga Moor

Head

New York Darfur Vigil Group

New York (USA)

79-Mr. John Schrier

Member and Steering Committee

Westchester Darfur Coalition

(USA)

Tel: 202-640-0602

80-Ms. Diane Koosed

Co-Chair, Never Again Coalition

Portland, OR (USA)

81- Madam. Grace

Human Rights Activist

(USA)

Tel: 1-443-878-8709

82- Ms. Munira Mohamad

Director

Miram Dar Organization

Minnesota (USA)

83- Mr. Haider Abdalla

Member of Darfuri Community in West Virginia

West Virginia (USA)

84- Mr. Bakhiet Shata

Executive Director

Darfur Community Association

Nebraska (USA)

85- Rabbi Charles M. Feinberg

Adas Israel Congregation

2850 Quebec St NW

Washington, DC 20008 (USA)

Tel: 1-202-362-4433, ext. 122

Rabbi.Feinberg@adasisrael.org

86-Mr. Bob Brousseau

Founder

Kentuckiana Interfaith Taskforce on Darfur (KITOD)

(USA)

http://louisvilliansfordarfur.org

87-Ms. Diane Koosed

Co-Chair

Never Again Coalition

Portland, OR (USA)