Hisham Mubarak Law Center
Encyclopedia
The Hisham Mubarak Law Center (HMLC; مركز هشام مبارك للقانون) is an Egypt
ian law firm based in Cairo
and Aswan
which "works in the field of human rights
through litigation, campaigns and legal research" and is "perhaps best known for its active support of torture victims and Egyptians subject to arbitrary detention." Founded by Ahmed Seif El-Islam Hamad and other human rights defenders in 1999 it has become a major player in Egyptian Human rights advocacy issues.
Hisham Mubarak (هشام مبارك) was an Egyptian lawyer and human rights activist, who died in 1998 from a heart attack at age 35.
The Cairo office provides space for many activist groups including the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) and is a hub and meeting space for various human rights and civil society groups in Egypt.
On February the 3rd, the tenth day of the 2011 Egyptian protests, military police raided the Cairo offices of the HMLC and the ECESR arresting 28 Egyptian and international human rights researchers, lawyers, and journalists including both directors , four members of the 'April 6 Youth' activist group including core member Amal Sharaf, Amnesty International
staff and Dan Williams a Human Rights Watch
researcher.
International pressure for their release was led by The Secretary General of Amnesty International Salil Shetty
The International visitors were released around midnight on the 4th of February and the Egyptians on the morning of February 5 after being held without access to communication or legal advice.
who played a key part in organizing the protests.
2010 - Worked on the defence of Egyptian human rights activists Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
(ANHRI) and Ahmad Saif al-Islam, founder of Hisham Mubarak Law Centre (HMLC)
2009 - Campaigned against misuse of 'Hesba' court cases, on the grounds that the punishments "go beyond fines and imprisonment, and include manipulating marriages, revoking citizenships, and physical violence."
2008 - Defended Media student and blogger Mohammed Refaat of the blog "Matabbat" (Speedbumps) after he was arrested under the state emergency law for 'offending state institutions, destabilising public security and inciting demonstrations and strikes via the Internet'
Nov 2008 - Submitted an appeal against the original decision taken by the prosecutor general to prohibit any publicity in the case surrounding the murder of Suzan Tamim
May 2008 - Coordinated a defence campaign for limited-income citizens held in mass detentions for 'dissent'.
Jan 2008 - Suppored the legal case for the Nadim Report and called for the prosecution of persons implicated in the report of torture.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian law firm based in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and Aswan
Aswan
Aswan , formerly spelled Assuan, is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate.It stands on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract and is a busy market and tourist centre...
which "works in the field of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
through litigation, campaigns and legal research" and is "perhaps best known for its active support of torture victims and Egyptians subject to arbitrary detention." Founded by Ahmed Seif El-Islam Hamad and other human rights defenders in 1999 it has become a major player in Egyptian Human rights advocacy issues.
Hisham Mubarak (هشام مبارك) was an Egyptian lawyer and human rights activist, who died in 1998 from a heart attack at age 35.
The Cairo office provides space for many activist groups including the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) and is a hub and meeting space for various human rights and civil society groups in Egypt.
On February the 3rd, the tenth day of the 2011 Egyptian protests, military police raided the Cairo offices of the HMLC and the ECESR arresting 28 Egyptian and international human rights researchers, lawyers, and journalists including both directors , four members of the 'April 6 Youth' activist group including core member Amal Sharaf, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
staff and Dan Williams a Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
researcher.
International pressure for their release was led by The Secretary General of Amnesty International Salil Shetty
Salil Shetty
Salil Shetty has been the director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign since October 2003. Before joining the UN, he served as the Chief Executive of ActionAid. He is an Indian national.-Amnesty International :...
The International visitors were released around midnight on the 4th of February and the Egyptians on the morning of February 5 after being held without access to communication or legal advice.
Notable work and campaigns
2011 - Set up Emergency emergency telephone numbers ahead of the planned January 25 demonstration so that they could dispatch lawyers to document Deaths, Injuries, and Arrests during the 2011 Egyptian protests Also provided meeting space for the April 6 Youth MovementApril 6 Youth Movement
The April 6 Youth Movement is an Egyptian Facebook group started in Spring 2008 to support the workers in El-Mahalla El-Kubra, an industrial town, who were planning to strike on April 6....
who played a key part in organizing the protests.
2010 - Worked on the defence of Egyptian human rights activists Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information is a Cairo, Egypt, based non-governmental organization devoted to promoting freedom of expression across the Middle East and North Africa. It collects publications, campaigns, reports, and statements from almost 140 Arabic human rights organizations...
(ANHRI) and Ahmad Saif al-Islam, founder of Hisham Mubarak Law Centre (HMLC)
2009 - Campaigned against misuse of 'Hesba' court cases, on the grounds that the punishments "go beyond fines and imprisonment, and include manipulating marriages, revoking citizenships, and physical violence."
2008 - Defended Media student and blogger Mohammed Refaat of the blog "Matabbat" (Speedbumps) after he was arrested under the state emergency law for 'offending state institutions, destabilising public security and inciting demonstrations and strikes via the Internet'
Nov 2008 - Submitted an appeal against the original decision taken by the prosecutor general to prohibit any publicity in the case surrounding the murder of Suzan Tamim
May 2008 - Coordinated a defence campaign for limited-income citizens held in mass detentions for 'dissent'.
Jan 2008 - Suppored the legal case for the Nadim Report and called for the prosecution of persons implicated in the report of torture.