The Silent Suffering Enforced Disappearances Under Egypt’s Military Rule
- Introduction
- Enforced Disappearance in Egypt: A Tool of Repression
- Stories Behind the Silence: Victims and Families
- Legal Framework and International Definitions
- Historical and Ongoing Cases
- National and International Advocacy
- Commentary from Human Rights Experts
- The Political and Social Cost
- Conclusion: A Call for Justice
1. Introduction
Since the military coup in July 2013, Egypt has witnessed an alarming rise in the number of enforced disappearances—a tactic used by authoritarian regimes to silence dissent, eliminate opposition, and instill fear in society. Described by Amnesty International as a form of “state terror,” enforced disappearance is not only a gross violation of human rights but also an enduring source of anguish for thousands of families who have been denied the most basic right: to know the fate of their loved ones.
2. Enforced Disappearance in Egypt: A Tool of Repression
The Egyptian Network for Human Rights describes enforced disappearance as one of the most horrific and systematic abuses committed by the regime of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Victims, often abducted by state security forces, vanish without any official acknowledgment of their detention. Their whereabouts remain unknown, and legal recourse is often ineffective.
This practice is a hallmark of Egypt’s military-backed authoritarian governance, used to extract false confessions, suppress political dissent, and perpetuate a climate of fear. It disproportionately affects political activists, journalists, students, and ordinary citizens caught in the state’s expansive dragnet.
3. Stories Behind the Silence: Victims and Families
Every year on August 30th, the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, families gather to remember those who have vanished. Parents and siblings continue to ask a haunting question: “Where are our children?” Many have no graves to visit, no answers to their cries, only bureaucratic denial and official silence.
Among the most well-known cases is that of Dr. Mostafa Al-Naggar, a former parliamentarian and vocal critic of military rule, missing since September 2018. The fate of hundreds more—including children, entire families, and long-time detainees—remains unknown. The stories of those disappeared date back to 2011 and continue through every year of Sisi’s rule.
4. Legal Framework and International Definitions
According to Article 2 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the crime includes “the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty… followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person.”
Article 5 further classifies systematic enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity. Despite these definitions, Egypt has neither signed nor ratified the Convention, and domestic law remains woefully inadequate.
5. Historical and Ongoing Cases
Since 2013, rights groups have documented over 1,000 cases of enforced disappearance. The Egyptian Network for Human Rights estimates that at least 140 people are currently missing, with many having been children at the time of their abduction. Notable cases include:
- Mohamed Seddik Ajlan (disappeared in 2011)
- Amr Ibrahim Abdel Moneim and Khaled Mohamed Hafez (July 2013)
- Families like Sayed Ahmed Salem and his four sons (disappeared in 2016)
Many who reappear later report torture and are coerced into confessions leading to long-term imprisonment or death sentences.
6. National and International Advocacy
Rights organizations such as the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms and the Geneva Council for Rights and Liberties have consistently called on the Egyptian government to reveal the fate of the disappeared and end this brutal practice. Despite appeals to the United Nations and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, accountability remains elusive.
7. Commentary from Human Rights Experts
Ahmed Al-Attar, executive director of the Egyptian Network for Human Rights, describes enforced disappearance as a crime that destroys not only individuals but entire families. Legal action, such as filing cases against the Ministry of Interior, often meets with state denial and judicial inertia.
Former MP Mamdouh Ismail draws historical parallels between Egypt’s practices and Nazi Germany’s “Night and Fog” decree, underscoring the crime’s psychological and legal impact. Dr. Ashraf Abdel Ghaffar calls it a method of spreading state terror, while rights activist Hiba Hassan sees it as a systematic method of silencing dissent.
8. The Political and Social Cost
Enforced disappearance tears at the social fabric, erodes trust in state institutions, and undermines the rule of law. It perpetuates fear, discourages political engagement, and stifles civil society. Above all, it leaves victims’ families trapped in a cycle of grief, legal limbo, and emotional trauma.
9. Conclusion: A Call for Justice
As the world marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance, Egypt must be held accountable. Civil society must amplify the voices of the disappeared, demand transparency from the state, and advocate for Egypt to sign the relevant international treaties. Only through sustained internal resistance and international pressure can this dark chapter in Egypt’s history come to an end.
Until then, the haunting question remains: Where are they?
