Statement by Sergio Stanzani and Niccoló Figa-Talamanca, respectively President and Secretary General of No Peace Without Justice:
We have learned with deep concern that on Friday 23 May 2009 an unknown assailant on a motorcycle attacked the prominent Egyptian dissident Ayman Nour by igniting a flammable substance in his face. This attack came a day after Ayman Nour pledged to supporters that he would run again for president in 2011 if his political party nominates him and if he can overturn a ban on him from running.
No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) continues to support the long struggle of Ayman Nour, one of the few liberal campaigners for democracy in Egypt who spent four years in prison after running against Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak in the 2005 elections and applauds his peaceful pursuit of these ideals for the benefit of Egypt and the Arab world.
We call on the Egyptian judiciary authorities to make a complete investigation of the incident in order to bring the perpetrator of such an act to justice. We also urge the political and judiciary authorities of Egypt to allow Ayman Nour to exercise his fundamental right to freedom of thought and freedom of expression, ending the repeated intimidations and restrictions against human rights defenders, in violation of Egypt’s international commitments under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights and the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It is not Ayman Nour’s struggle but it is rather the repeated persecution against human rights defenders which are harming the image of Egypt abroad. We call upon like-minded democrats and governments to stand in solidarity with Ayman Nour and make their views known to the Egyptian authorities.
For further information, please contact Gianluca Eramo at geramo@npwj.org / phone: +32-2-548 39 29 or Nicola Giovannini at ngiovannini@npwj.org
org/phone: +32-2-548-3913.
