Statement from Al-Shabaka Center on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
Saturday 30 August 2025
Statement on the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearance
The Al-Shehab Human Rights Center affirms that enforced disappearance is a crime against humanity. Despite the clarity of international treaties and the Egyptian constitution in criminalizing it, the authorities in Egypt continue to systematically commit this crime against political opponents, activists, human rights defenders, and journalists, amidst complete impunity and complicity from judicial bodies.
From 2013 until August 26, 2025, the center has documented 19,885 cases of enforced disappearance, including 1,227 cases since the beginning of 2025 alone. Additionally, 65 forcibly disappeared individuals have been documented as killed outside the law, while the authorities have claimed inaccurate narratives regarding the causes of their deaths.
The continuation of this crime reflects a lack of accountability and an expansion of the policy of impunity, as well as the Public Prosecution's failure to investigate the complaints submitted regarding it.
Therefore, the Al-Shehab Human Rights Center demands:
The disclosure of the fate of all forcibly disappeared individuals and their immediate release.
The immediate cessation of this crime.
The initiation of independent and serious investigations and the accountability of anyone proven to be involved in it.
📍 London – Saturday, August 30, 2025
Al-Shehab Human Rights Center