Calls mount for Nigeria to halt deportation of Egyptian facing torture risk
A coalition of international and local human rights organizations has issued an urgent appeal to the Nigerian government to halt the deportation of Egyptian citizen Ali Mahmoud Abdel-Wanis, who was recently arrested in Nigeria and now faces imminent removal to Egypt. The advocates warn that Abdel-Wanis risks imprisonment and torture if returned to his home […]
A coalition of international and local human rights organizations has issued an urgent appeal to the Nigerian government to halt the deportation of Egyptian citizen Ali Mahmoud Abdel-Wanis, who was recently arrested in Nigeria and now faces imminent removal to Egypt.
The advocates warn that Abdel-Wanis risks imprisonment and torture if returned to his home country.
The Justice for Human Rights Foundation (JHR Istanbul) and AFD Belgium released a joint statement yesterday, maintaining that “as human rights organisations concerned with protecting and defending human rights, we stress the need for Ali Abdel-Wanis’s release and demand that he not be deported to Egypt.”
The groups have formally petitioned several international bodies, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Committee Against Torture, to intervene.
“We are writing to you to save an Egyptian citizen who is threatened with forced deportation from Nigeria, where he will face imprisonment and torture,” the statement read
In the same vein, the Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA Global Resource Initiative), a Nigeria-based watchdog, also joined the call for action, addressing a letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We hereby join other local and international bodies [to] request urgent intervention of your esteemed office to preserve the freedom of Ali Mahmoud Abdel-Wanis,” wrote Comrade Buna Olaitan Isiak, Executive Director of HURMA.
The letter added that “the victim stands a high risk of potential torture in the hand of the Military Despot presently in charge in the Arab Republic of Egypt if forcibly deported.”
The coalition includes 15 organisations from across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, such as: EFDI International – Belgium, Victims of Torture – Geneva, Tawasul for Human Rights – The Hague, Solidarity for Human Rights – Geneva and United Action for Democracy – Nigeria
The appeal cites Nigeria’s obligations under the Convention Against Torture, which the country ratified in 2001. “We demand that the Nigerian government halt the forced deportation and respect the Convention against Torture,” the statement reiterated.
The coalition has also copied their appeal to key Nigerian institutions and international bodies, including the National Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, and the African Union.