Arish – We have received important news from Hamdy Al-Azazy, the extraordinary Egyptian human rights defender, President of the New Generation Foundation for Human Rights, who has prevented many humanitarian tragedies in Northern Sinai.
180 Eritreans Released from the Sinai Slavery, Detained in Israeli’s Prisons
“As I told you,” says the activist, “my work in the North Sinai Governorate (in collaboration with some important groups of Bedouin activists) continues unabated. Through this work, this week traffickers released 180 Eritrean refugees on the border with Israel. They are now in the Jewish state”. EveryOne Group has received confirmation of the transfer of refugees from the Israeli authorities. The refugees, however, are being held in custody, according to the new anti – immigration laws recently approved by the Knesset. The Ma’an news agency has reported the incident.
EveryOne Group has sent an appeal to the UNHCR and the Israeli institutions asking for the 180 refugees (persecuted in their homeland and the victims of trafficking, torture and episodes of rape in the Sinai) to be treated according to the international charters on human rights and the Geneva Convention on Refugees.
Hamdy Al-Azazy has been able to secure the release of 8 Eritrean and Ethiopian girls from Rumana Prison, as well as a supply of food and medicine for the 48 refugees still being detained in the detention centre. Unfortunately the activist has also sent us news of the discovery of the corpse of a young Eritrean woman who was shot through the head near the Israeli border. In Northern Sinai, border guards have arrested 45 sub-Saharan migrants, of whom we have no further news.
Taken from http://www.tolerance.ca/Article.aspx?ID=128733&L=en