Reda Helal is an Egyptian

Egyptians

Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...

 journalist. He was deputy editor

Editing

Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...

 of Al-Ahram

Al-Ahram

Al-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....

 newspaper until 11 August 2003 when he disappeared

Forced disappearance

In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...

 in a presumed kidnapping. He was also a political activist, and a founding member of the Cairo Peace Society (CPS), a Copenhagen criteria

Copenhagen criteria

The Copenhagen criteria are the rules that define whether a country is eligible to join the European Union. The criteria require that a state has the institutions to preserve democratic governance and human rights, has a functioning market economy, and accepts the obligations and intent of the EU...

 support group.

Disappearance

Helal disappeared en route from Al-Ahram's offices to his home in Kasr El Aini hospital street in downtown 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...

. A factor which makes his disappearance all the more puzzling is that this is one of the most secure streets in the Egyptian capital as it contains the headquarters of the Arab League, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the American Embassy and the Egyptian Museum

Egyptian Museum

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....

.

On the day of his disappearance Helal's family presented a complaint about it to Sayyeda Zeinab police station. 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...

 groups and activists, as well as a number of journalists, have pressured the Egyptian government over the incident.

Current development

In a recent response from the Interior Ministry to PM

PM

PM often means "after noon" in the 12-hour clock .PM or Pm may also refer to:-Sciences:*Particulate matter, particulates — fine dust and soot — suspended in the air...

Talaat Sadat, The Ministry of Interior affirmed that no truth yet on the missing journalist case..

External links

• Website created for search of Reda Helal
• The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) (20/6/2005) report "Egyptian journalists .. Fettered pens, continued prosecution and sexual assault"
• U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005 - Egypt - March 2006
• Example of his views on Arab regimes and the need for 'Regime change'