The US State Department has expressed concern about reports that relatives of the Egyptian-American activist Mohamed Sultan are facing acts of intimidation in Egypt, and 21 international human rights organizations have denounced what they saw as retaliation against Sultan.
The Foreign Affairs Office of the Near East Affairs said - via Twitter - that the ministry will continue to monitor the situation and "deal seriously with all allegations of harassment and threats."
Sultan, 32, a former detainee who went to a prolonged hunger strike in Egypt, filed a lawsuit with a court in the American capital early this month against former Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi, on charges of torture and other human rights violations.
The lawsuit also included Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, his former director of office, Abbas Kamel, who currently heads the General Intelligence Service, and three former leaders of the Ministry of Interior.
We are concerned about reports that relatives of the American citizen and former detainee Muhammad Sultan face intimidation in #Egypt. We will continue to monitor the situation and deal seriously with all allegations of harassment and threats.
- NEA Press Office (@NEAPressOffice) June 24, 2020
Sultan said a few days ago that his father, the preacher Salah Sultan, who was imprisoned in Egypt, had disappeared from inside Wadi Al-Natroun prison, north of Cairo, since mid-June, after investigating him about his son's activity.
Before that, members of the Egyptian security forces raided the homes of Sultan's relatives, and detained some of them for two days.
"Systematic revenge"
On the other hand, 21 human rights organizations said on Wednesday, "The continued harassment and intimidation of the Egyptian security forces to the family of an American citizen who seeks justice is a source of great concern."
This came in a joint statement signed by these organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Organization Against Torture.
# Egypt: Arrest of relatives of human rights defender # Muhammad_Sultan https://t.co/f52BO0OLvZ
- Nadia El-Magd Nadia (@Nadiaglory) June 24, 2020
Human Rights Watch said Sultan informed a US court that Egyptian security forces had raided the homes of his relatives more than once, arrested five of them and forcibly disappeared them for two days, and moved his detained father to an unknown location.
The rights group added that the raids appeared to have been carried out to avenge Sultan for bringing a lawsuit in the United States against Al-Beblawy.
The organizations called on the Egyptian authorities to release Sultan's relatives immediately and end "systematic reprisals" against human rights activists and their relatives.
Sultan said he believed the arrests were made with the aim of forcing him to drop the case against Beblawy.